Alabama County Installing 7 Storm Shelters

Colbert County, Ala., officials have begun installing above-ground storm shelters throughout the county.

The county commission approved a contract in May with Georgia-based company Survive-A-Storm to build seven storm shelters in the county. The county is paying a quarter of the roughly $393,000 cost and FEMA is covering the rest.

Project manager Mike Pendergrast tells the Florence TimesDaily each shelter can hold 59 people and includes a generator and two restrooms. The shelters have domed roofs and are buffered by mounds of dirt on either side.

Colbert County Emergency Management Agency Director Mike Melton says the shelters are built to withstand winds of 250 mph. Melton says the seven shelters are part of a plan to eventually install 22 throughout the county by June 2015.