Wise County residents will soon have the opportunity to apply for reimbursements on new safe rooms through the county’s Wise County Residential Safe Room Rebate Program.
The program provides funding through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to reimburse homeowners up to half of the total cost to install a certified residential tornado shelter, with a max rebate of $3,000.
Rebate applications open Feb. 2 at 8 a.m. and can be found here or at www.co.wise.tx.us under the “news flash” section on the main page. A total of 150 applicants will be accepted on a first come, first serve basis by the Wise County Office of Emergency Management.
Applications may be delivered in person to the Wise County Office of Emergency Management in Decatur (205 North State Street) 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Thursday or 8 a.m.-12 p.m. Fridays, or emailed to oem@co.wise.tx.us. They will not be accepted prior to Feb. 2.
The safe room must be FEMA compliant and meet guidelines in FEMA P-320, and does not include any work done prior to acceptance into the program. Interior, exterior, above-ground or in-ground shelters will qualify for a rebate application.
To be eligible, the following criteria must be met:
- Primary Wise County residence
- Single-family home
- New safe rooms only
- Must meet FEMA guidelines
- Licensed contractor install
- Application must be approved by Wise County to participate in the program
- Must not be living in a FEMA 100-year floodplain
- Approved applications have six months to complete install
For questions, contact the Wise County Office of Emergency Management at 940-627-5870 and dial option 3.
Whether you’re planning to build a new storm shelter or already have one on your property, be sure to register it with the Wise County Office of Emergency Management.
Registering your storm shelter will put your information into a database, so in the event of a natural disaster, first responders will be able to determine where people may be trapped.
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