Chickasaw Nation Storm Shelter Program

Posted by OKStormShelters on April 29th, 2012 in Rebates & Grants

If you’re a member of the Chickasaw Nation, you’re in for a treat. With all the talk about the SoonerSafe rebates and only a select few citizens being awarded rebates, members of the Chickasaw Nation are much more likely to be awarded a storm shelter rebate.

This program is intended to provide storm shelters for Chickasaw citizens who privately own their home. Applicants can expect to be notified within 10 working days if they qualify to be placed on the storm shelter waiting list. This service is restricted to the 12-county service area: southern portion of Bryan, Carter, Garvin, Grady, Jefferson, Johnston, Love, McClain, Marshall, Murray, Pontotoc and Stephens counties.

Required Information

CDIB for applicant
Social Security cards of all household members
Income verification of all household members
Copy of warranty deed
Information and Privacy Act release form

Program Eligibility

Must be Chickasaw
No outstanding debt owed to the housing division or to the Chickasaw Nation
Home must be the applicant’s primary residence
Storm shelters are awarded one time only to each family in order to meet the needs of all Chickasaws

You can obtain an application at the address below. If you need any further information you can call the Chickasaw Nation using the phone number also supplied below.

111 Rosedale Road
Ada, OK 74820
Phone: (580) 421-8800

2013 SoonerSafe Rebates

Posted by OKStormShelters on April 17th, 2012 in Rebates & Grants

The SoonerSafe Storm Shelter Rebate program is an annual, state-wide, program for Oklahoma residents. If you are interested in buying a storm shelter or safe room, but need financial assistance you will definitely want to apply for this year’s rebates.

This rebate is for 75% of the purchase of a storm shelter or safe room, with a maximum rebate of $2000. All of our storm shelters and safe rooms will qualify you for the maximum rebate of $2000.

I’ve included a few links below that covers everything there is to know about the SoonerSafe Rebates. The first link is just a general overview about the program, with the second link being the complete rules and regulations of the program and the third link is a step-by-step walkthrough on how to apply, including screenshots of every step you need to take.

SoonerSafe: Overview
SoonerSafe: Rules and Regulations
SoonerSafe: How to Apply (step-by-step walkthrough)

If you applied for the 2012 SoonerSafe Rebate drawing, but didn’t win, you are automatically enrolled in the 2013 SoonerSafe Rebate drawing. If you need to apply, follow the instructions above on the SoonerSafe: How to Apply link. Rebates will be awarded sometime in January 2013.

If you want to stay updated about all of the storm shelter rebate programs we find out about, including county-specific and city-specific rebate programs, please subscribe to our newsletter. I update our subscribers the very moment I find out about new programs.

Emergency Planning and Emergency Kit Supplies

Posted by OKStormShelters on April 10th, 2012 in Tornado Safety

Whether or not you decide that you need a storm shelter or safe room in your home or small business, you can take two important steps to provide near-absolute protection for you, your family, or employees during a hurricane or tornado: prepare an emergency plan and put an emergency supply kit together. If you decide to build a safe room, your emergency plan should include notifying local emergency managers, first responders (local fire stations), and family members or others outside the immediate area that you have a safe room. This will allow emergency personnel to quickly free you if the exit from your safe room becomes blocked by debris. You should also prepare an emergency supply kit and either keep it in your safe room or be ready to bring it with you if you need to evacuate your home. Some of the items that the emergency supply kit should include are:

An adequate supply of water for each person in your home or small business (1 gallon per person per day)
Non-perishable foods that do not have to be prepared or cooked (if these include canned goods, remember to bring a manual can opener)
Disposable eating utensils, plates, cups, paper towels, etc.
A first-aid kit, including necessary prescription medicines, bandages, and antibiotic ointment

Tools and supplies:
- flashlight (one per person; do not bring candles or anything that lights with a flame)
- battery-operated radio or television and NOAA1 weather radio
- cellular phone or Citizen’s Band (CB) radio
- extra batteries for the above tools
- wrench (to turn off gas and water)
- insect repellent and sunscreen
- personal hygiene items such as hand wipes and toilet paper

Extra change of clothing per person (store in plastic trash bags to keep clean and dry)
Appropriate outer wear (e.g., sunglasses, ponchos, jackets, gloves, headwear, boots, etc.)
Bedding materials such as pillows and blankets or sleeping bags

Special items for:
- babies – formula, diapers, bottles, powdered milk
- children – entertainment items such as books, games, or toys
- adults – contact lenses and supplies, extra glasses, and a sufficient supply of prescription medications
- pets – appropriate supplies such as water (1/2 gallon per day), food, leash, ID tag, carrying container, etc.

Additional items:
- important documents such as insurance documents, a list of all your important contacts (e.g., family, doctors, insurance agents), banking information, leases/ mortgage, proof of occupancy (such as a utility bill), and a waterproof container in which to keep these documents
- ABC2 rated fire extinguisher
- roofing tarps or plastic sheeting
- roll of large heavy-duty trash bags and duct tape
- money (cash)

You can get more information about emergency planning from American Red Cross (ARC) and FEMA publications, which you can obtain free of charge by calling FEMA at 1-800-480-2520, or by writing to FEMA, P.O. Box 2012, Jessup, MD 20794-2012.

Home Value Increases When you Add a Safe Room

Posted by OKStormShelters on March 22nd, 2012 in Uncategorized

A very commonly asked question is does installing a storm shelter or safe room add to my property’s resale value. I always had to tell everybody that it is a selling point for any home and it is a commonly understood notion that shelters do add to the value of a home, but we didn’t have any before/after appraisals done to verify this, nor were we aware of any studies being done to document this.

Now, I can without a doubt. tell our customers and prospective buyers, that yes, adding one of our shelters to your home is one of the best investments you can make to add value to your home. Dr. Kevin Simmons, Professor of Economics at Austin College, a Federal Alliance for Safe Homes partner, who studies natural disaster mitigation, says he found that as a mitigation device, tornado safe rooms rank high with consumers — increasing the sale price of a home by 3.5 percent or an average of $4,200. Dr. Simmons’ study was conducted here in central Oklahoma. You can download his study here.

“This finding is significant in that it means that anyone who installs a tornado safe room in their home is able to recoup almost all of their investment when they sell,” says Leslie Chapman-Henderson, President and CEO of FLASH. According to Chapman-Henderson, the average cost to build a safe room is $4,000 to $5000 depending on its size and built-in amenities. “A $5,000 tornado safe room will provide an 84 percent return on investment,” she says.

According to FLASH, tornado safe rooms built using the International Code Council/National Storm Shelter Association 500 standard or FEMA 320/361 guidance can provide the ultimate life safety protection from severe winds.

Storm Shelter Rebates Available in Delaware County

Posted by OKStormShelters on March 13th, 2012 in Rebates & Grants

I’ve recently been in touch with Delaware County’s Department of Emergency Management. They’ve informed me that they have storm shelter rebates available. FEMA will pay for 75% of your storm shelter purchase, up to $2000. There are a few requirements, that you must meet. I’ve included a list of them below.

You must be a resident of Delaware County.
The home must be your primary place of residence.
You have 6 months to have your shelter installed.

If you have any further questions about the rebate program, please contact the Delaware County Department of Emergency Management at (918) 787-HELP (4357).

I’ve included more storm shelter rebate program information on our rebates page that you can get to by clicking the link at the first of this sentence or the rebates link at the top of this page, in the center. I also recently made a long post about numerous storm shelter rebates available for Oklahoma residents. If your city and/or county is listed on that page, contact your city’s and/or county’s Department of Emergency Management for more information and to apply.