Weather Radio Rebate

Altus --- As part of National Preparedness Month, the City of Altus Emergency
Management office announced a Weather Radio rebate program, funded by a grant
from the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the State of Oklahoma EM
office.

The program will reimburse Jackson County residents 75% of the cost of a weather radio up to
$50, according to Lloyd Colston, Altus Emergency Management director. "In other
words, a $30 radio will cost $7.50, after the rebate is paid."

"It could save your life and your family's life," said Jerry Gibson, director of
Jackson County Emergency Management, speaking to the benefit of the weather
radio. "It's like a smoke detector for weather."

Funds are limited. Citizens are encouraged to act quickly. Local vendors such
as Radio Shack and United Grocery Stores have radios in stock. The rebate
program only pays for radios with Specific Area Messaging Encoder technology
such as described at http://www.nws.noaa.gov/nwr/nwrsame.htm, explained Gibson.

Inside the home, it is difficult, if not impossible to hear the sirens.
Emergency managers encourage multiple means of getting warnings. Weather
radios, cell phone, pagers, email, and sirens are just some of the tools in the
toolbox.

In order to participate in the rebate program, Jackson County and City of Altus
residents must first buy the radio, obtain the reimbursement form, complete the
form, and submit it, with the receipt, for payment by the City.

The form is available at the American Red Cross office, the Salvation Army
church building, Jerry Gibson's office at the Jackson County Courthouse, at City
of Altus City Hall, or online at http://ow.ly/pYgX

Once the form is received, it will be submitted to State emergency management
officials for payment. This is a pass-through grant, explained Colston. The
money will come back to the City of Altus, which will then approve the claim for
payment to the resident.

Those who need help with programming their new radio can get that help from the
Altus Skywarn Association, the local weather watch group. Those who need help
can leave their radio with the Red Cross, Salvation Army, or the local emergency
management officials who will have the radio returned after programming is
completed.

For more information, visit http://altusem.us or call 580.482.8333 for Colston
or 580.482.0229 for Gibson.

Storm Shelter Program

Last update: 8 August 2009

Applications for which we have packets have been submitted to Oklahoma City for review. Thank you for your patience as we work through this process. As a reminder, there is no guarantee of reimbursement, until you receive your approval letter.

As was promised, updates to the Storm Shelter Rebate Program will appear here.

A number of Citizens have asked if there is a recommendation for a vendor to assist in installing a safe room. There is a non-profit trade organization called the National Storm Shelter Association. Please contact them for assistance. There is a checklist to help understand the Quality Verification Process. Call 877.700.6772 or email info@nssa.cc

If you have your packet with all boxes in the checklist completed, please email for an appointment so we can enter the information into the system.

Here is the newest checklist promised by the State. It is in Word format.

Here are the sample letters. Please accept our apologies for any difficulty the delay may have caused.

Deadline extended. Please continue to work on your checklist. State has granted an extension from the April 15 deadline. Please hold your verifications until all your verifications are ready to submit. This will eliminate lost items.

In the mean time, if you have not ordered Taking Shelter from the Storm and Are You Ready books, please call (800) 480-2520 for FEMA Publications.

Alternatively, http://www.fema.gov/areyouready and http://www.fema.gov/plan/prevent/saferoom/fema320.shtm are your sources for downloading the material.

Storm Cellar Frequently Asked Questions

The following are some questions asked by Citizens about the Storm Cellar Grant program in City of Altus and Jackson County.

How many letters must I send and to whom?

Five should be in your file when your part of the grant is completed.

Archeological:

Ms Margie Duncan
Staff Archeologist
111 E Chesapeake, Room 102
Norman, OK 73019-5111



Vegetation:



Farmland Protection Act of 1981 applies here. Natural Resource Conservation Service is aware of this process. Please contact them for the appropriate letter. Please write to them including your legal description. Locally, their web address is http://www.ok.nrcs.usda.gov/contact/counties/065.html. The address is:

Altus Field Service Center
3100 N Main, Suite A
Altus, OK 73521-1305

Telephone: 580-482-4312
FAX: 580-482-6243

Your emergency management agency obtained a generic letter. Please download it and print it for your packet. Check back periodically.




Clean Water:

Mr. Joe Remondini
Pre-Regulatory Branch
US Army Corp of Engineers
1645 S 101 E Ave
Tulsa, OK 74128-4609




Floodplains Management:

Mr. Gavin Brady
Oklahoma Water Resources Board (OWRB)
State Agencies Building
440 S Houston RM 2
Tulsa, OK 74127

Mr. Brady has provided a generic letter for the Citizens of Jackson County and the communities therein.





Department of Environmental Quality


Margaret Graham said to send a letter basically just stating that we are planning on building a storm shelter or safe room through the FEMA Hazard Mitigation Program and state our address and legal description. The letters should be sent to her attention at:

Attn: Margaret Graham
Department of Environmental Quality
707 N Robinson
P.O. Box 1677
Oklahoma City, OK 73101-1677



Do I have to do the historical preservation process, if my house is under 45 years old?

No. The historical preservation effort is not needed for homes under 45 years old.

Also, if your home is over 45 years old but has had additions to the original structure, documenting the additions will ease this requirement.


How do I find the Latitude and Longitude?

http://stevemorse.org/jcal/latlon.php will give an Lat/Long from a physical address.

How do I find my legal description?

http://jackson.okcountytreasurers.com/ will give you your legal description from "tax rolls" and entering the address.

Can I build now that I’ve been to the meeting or sent you the stuff I needed?

No. If you build before you receive documentation that you have been approved for the grant, you will not be eligible for reimbursement.

How can I find a reputable construction company?

The Chamber of Commerce or Better Business Bureau would be able to assist. Recommendations from trusted neighbors, friends, and colleagues would also help. Please, also, see the link to the National Safe Shelter Association elsewhere on the page.

Who builds my cellar? Will you recommend a contractor?

The Citizen is being offered a wide freedom of choice in this program. Neither City nor County employees can recommend contractors. You may also build your own shelter. If you do so, please document the cost with receipts. To insure there's no question, it may be wise to document before and after photos.



Thank you for your understanding, support, and patience.

Lloyd Colston

Jerry Gibson

Weather Warnings from NWS FREE

The National Weather Service has rolled out a National alerting program at

http://inws.wrh.noaa.gov/

By signing up for this free program, you will receive watches and warnings over text and the web.

Unlike the State program, one can have more than one area of concern. For example, the airman from Boston can still get his warnings from home while he gets his warnings in Jackson County. When he leaves Jackson County, he can log onto the http://inws.wrh.noaa.gov/ page to change to his next duty station.

Here's just one more tool in the toolkit for getting information to the Citizen. Please help your friends and neighbors be aware of this new service.

Don't forget to check the CEM message box when you sign up.