Requirement for storm shelters is long overdue
Tornado shelters at public schools are a no-brainer. The only surprise is that they haven’t been required before now.
Yes, they’ll drive up construction costs for new schools.
But ask the people of Moore, Okla., whether the price is worth paying.
On May 20, 2013, an EF-4 tornado with winds up to 210 mph hit Plaza Towers Elementary School in Moore, killing seven students. The school had no underground shelter or safe room.
The Fort Worth City Council is expected to adopt a new building code on Dec. 6 that will require all new schools with 50 or more students and staff to have a designated storm shelter.
The requirement is based on the 2015 International Building Code and a Federal Emergency Management Agency recommendation.
The days of kids and teachers huddling in the hallway after a tornado alarm, hoping it’s safe, should be behind us.
Existing schools and those under construction or already far along in the planning stages will be exempt from the new requirement — meaning most parents and teachers must continue to hope they’re safe.
Texas has an average of 155 tornadoes a year, mostly in the spring.
The people of Glen Heights, part of the Red Oak school district south of Dallas, were very lucky on Dec. 28 when an EF-3 tornado with winds of 165 mph hit Shields Elementary School.
The school was closed because of the Christmas holiday, so there were no injuries. Students went to another campus for the rest of the school year, and Shields reopened in August.
Forest Hill, Plano, Irving and Southlake have adopted the new building code and its storm shelter provision.
Arlington spokesman Jay Warren told Star-Telegram reporter Sandra Baker the City Council there is expected to begin in January reviewing and updating the building code.
Eagle Mountain-Saginaw school district spokeswoman Megan Overman told Baker, “Safety is something you never want to gamble with.”
Especially not where children are involved.
This story was originally published November 23, 2016 at 6:14 PM with the headline "Requirement for storm shelters is long overdue."