Safe Room Program can help Indiana residents who need extra protection from strong storms

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- An average of 1,500 people are injured every year from tornadoes across the country.

That's why Indiana officials are encouraging people to keep their families safe.

Kim Wiseman was working outside his new Middletown home when a microburst came through earlier this month.

"It was just snap your fingers and it was over," Wiseman said.

It happened so fast he said he thought he'd wait it out in his truck under the carport.

"The building started raising up,' Wiseman said. "When I seen it start raising up, I thought this is not gonna be pretty and then the truck reared up."

The wind pushed the carport that was built in November and causing thousands of dollars of damage to his truck.

"I'd rather it tear the truck up than me blowin' across the hill," he said.

He considers himself lucky.

Time and time again Harrison County residents have been finding themselves in the path of these storms.

An EF-0 tornado touched down on the Fourth of July which brought wind speeds of 65 to 85 miles an hour. In April, an EF-1 tornado with 95 mile an hour winds came through.

"We've had more than our fair share of weather this year," said Mike Kurz, the emergency management director for Harrison County.

Kurz helps to protect the community by preparing for and responding to severe weather.

"It sure seems like we're going out to the fields an awful lot," Kurz said. "Every time you turn around we're doing storm damage assessments and it just seems like there's so much more activity this year than what there has been in years past."

That's why he's encouraging people to get a safe room. The Indiana Department of Homeland Security and FEMA are offering an incentive for people who do.

Homeowners who install a storm shelter could be reimbursed for up to 75% for a maximum of $5,000.

Anyone who lives in Indiana can apply.

"If this had been a trailer as opposed to a carport, a mobile home where someone was inside of it and thinking that they were protected and they're obviously not, the story could've been way different," Kurz said.

There are two types of shelters made of steel.

A stand-alone safe room looks similar to a shed but has an extended concrete foundation to make sure it can withstand strong wind speeds.

You can also install an internal one that essentially is a concrete room built inside a larger building or underground.

Kurz recommends the standalone.

"People need to be aware," Wiseman said. "They hear that lightning and thunder, they need to get protected."

This can protect you and your family from the next storm that comes through.

The application period ends on July 31. For more information, click here.

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