CORONAVIRUS: Mobile home residents told it’s OK to use storm shelters if a tornado is coming

Picture this scenario: It’s the middle of April and a tornado is bearing down on your mobile home. Coronavirus is still a major concern. Do you head out of the trailer for the facility’s storm shelter?

The Kansas Division of Emergency Management says you should — if there actually is a shelter and it is open.

KDEM recommends your first priority should be to protect yourself from the immediate danger, in this case a tornado. However, mobile home residents are strongly encouraged to check with local officials — well ahead of any severe weather activity — to make sure those shelters will be open, if they are available, because local government will have the ultimate say on whether shelters are opened or closed in these cases.

The guidance from KDEM mirrors guidance from Lyon County Emergency Management Director Jarrod Fell on KVOE’s Newsmaker segment earlier this week:

Shelters are extremely limited in and around Emporia. Green Acres Mobile Home Park and Lincoln Village are among the communities that have storm shelters for residents, while Belmont Estates residents can use a duplex specially designated for storm sheltering. The Kansas Turnpike also has shelters at the Emporia and Admire-Council Grove interchanges. The city of Emporia does not have a designated public shelter for severe weather.

If you rely on community shelters for severe weather safety, KDEM says this would be the time to start exploring other options to both keep you safe and limit your exposure to COVID-19. Adjutant General Lee Tafanelli says this is also an opportune time to review your family emergency plan and check emergency supplies.