Texas storm shelter design.
The Texas A&M system board of regents has put in a request to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to sponsor 90 percent of the financing needed to construct storm shelters in ten different locations throughout the state. These proposed facilities would not only act as storm shelters but would also be utilized for a variety of purposes during non-emergency times.
The prospective sites for these shelters, all situated on system property, do not include College Station, Prairie View, and Galveston. Instead, the proposed locations are Corpus Christi, McAllen, Laredo, San Antonio, Beeville, Killeen, Stephenville, Commerce, Texarkana, and Canyon. Depending on their location, these shelters would serve various functions such as athletic facilities, lab spaces, banquet rooms, offices, and even community spaces in times of non-emergencies. The shelters are designed to provide near-absolute security from extreme wind incidents, including hurricanes and tornadoes.
The proposition of dual-purpose safe rooms has been green-lit by the Texas A&M University System Regents. As part of the plan, they agreed to allocate $25 million in matching funds to apply for $229 million in Hazard Mitigation Assistance grants from FEMA through the Texas Division of Emergency Management (TDEM). Using this funding, Texas A&M University System aspires to construct storm shelters that can also function as convocation centers, basketball arenas, or lab spaces for most of the time.
Among the safe room projects proposed, Texas A&M University-Texarkana plans to establish a multiuse facility worth $16.4 million to be used for volleyball, cheer and dance team practices, office spaces, and hosting both community and campus events when not serving as a tornado shelter. Similarly, the Texas AgriLife Research Station in Beeville aims to construct a $10 million multiuse facility that will house community events and offices when it’s not being used as a hurricane shelter. Additionally, Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi is preparing to build a $56.8 million hurricane shelter that can also function as a 4,000 seat basketball arena for hosting events such as commencements, guest lectures, student convocations, and faculty and staff meetings.
All plans have been submitted to TDEM for approval. On approval from FEMA, construction of these shelters could potentially begin in 2025.
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