Tornado Bill Moves Forward On Anniversary of Lone Grove Storm

An effort to protect Oklahomans from deadly tornados passed a House committee Wednesday. The legislation focuses on mobile home parks which don't stand a chance against major storms.

Wednesday, February 10th 2010, 9:47 pm

By: News 9


By Colleen Chen, NEWS 9

OKLAHOMA CITY -- An effort to protect Oklahomans from deadly tornados passed a House committee Wednesday. The legislation focuses on mobile home parks which don't stand a chance against major storms.

The images of mobile home parks torn into pieces are burned into the mind of State Representative Pat Ownbey of Ardmore.

"We had the chance to look at that with emergency operations people and it looked like a landfill," said Ownbey of his tour through Lone Grove after an EF-4 tornado tore through the town last February.

Seven of the eight people who died in the city of Lone Grove lived in a mobile home. Ownbey said House Bill 2835 would improve storm safety.

Read House Bill 2835

"Mobile home park owners along with RV park owners would have to put a plan together with the cooperation of emergency operation centers in the county, state, or city," Ownbey said.

Lone Grove City Manager Marianne Elfert said she thinks Ownbey's bill is a step in the right direction. That's because the FEMA grant the city received for safe rooms doesn't apply to mobile homes.

"Those people aren't eligible for FEMA funded safe rooms because you have to live there. You have to own the property and most trailers rent space," said Elfert.

Elfert said she does have concerns the bill doesn't address more. She said the opportunity for those who live in mobile homes to flee fast enough may not be a reality even if there is a good plan in place.

"The problem we have with trailer parks is they're isolated in their own zoning, so they don't have normal house construction next to them so there wouldn't necessarily be a shelter they can share," Elfert said.

Representative Ownbey said he agreed. What he said he really wants is a bill that would give tax credits to mobile home and RV park owners for building storm shelters for their residents.

"The way the state budget is right now means this is not the right time," Ownbey said.

His current bill has no cost, and he said he hopes it's a good stepping stone for future bills.

HB2835 will now go to the House floor.

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