CHICAGO – The U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has released $630,399 in Pre-Disaster Mitigation (PDM) funds to the city of River Falls, Wisconsin, for the construction of a safe room at Glen Park.
“The Pre-Disaster Mitigation program enables communities to implement critical mitigation measures to reduce or eliminate the risk of loss of life and property,” said Janet M. Odeshoo, acting regional administrator, FEMA Region V. “This project will give the River Falls community a safe room that can be used to protect residents during severe weather events.”
PDM provides grants to state, local and tribal governments to implement long-term hazard mitigation measures. Through PDM, FEMA will pay 75 percent of the $840,532 eligible project cost. The remaining 25 percent of the funds, $210,133, will be provided by the City of River Falls.
This will be the second safe room the city of River Falls has built. The city previously constructed a safe room in Hoffman Park with funding through the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program. The Glen Park safe room will provide shelter for up to 250 people and is designed to withstand winds up to 250 mph.
“We all know the importance of seeking shelter quickly during severe weather,” said Wisconsin Emergency Management Administrator Brian Satula. “This safe room will provide emergency shelter to those enjoying the park or nearby residents when a tornado warning or other severe weather occurs.”
FEMA’s mission is to support our citizens and first responders to ensure that as a nation we work together to build, sustain, and improve our capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate all hazards.
