Participating in the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the $1 million, 5,000-square-foot safe room at Forrest County Agricultural High School in Brooklyn were, from left, District 2 Supervisor Charles Marshall, FCAHS Assistant Principal Benton Holder, FCAHS Career Technical Director Erik Shows, FCAHS Business Manager Stephen May, District 5 Supervisor Chris Bowen, FCAHS Superintendent Dr. Donna Boone, FCAHS School Board President Cliff Pendarvis, FCAHS Principal Will Wheat, Board of Supervisors President David Hogan, and FCAHS Board Member.
Another segment of Forrest County’s schoolchildren became safer recently when Forrest County Agricultural High School in Brooklyn cut the ribbon on the county’s second of 12 safe rooms.
County and school officials recently dedicated the $1 million, 5,000-square-foot circular building. David Hogan, president of the Forrest County Board of Supervisors, said the windowless FCAHS safe room follows an earlier building dedicated at Dixie Attendance Center.
Forrest County Supervisor (District 1) Board President David Hogan
“This one was No. 2, and we’ve got ten more, so we’ll have twelve total,” he said. “We’ve got eight going right now. Two got slowed down by wetlands mitigation. We had to make some variations to the foundation to fix that.”
Dr. Donna Boone, superintendent of the Forrest County Agricultural High School District, said the safe room will hold about 830 people.
“We have almost 600 students on campus plus almost 100 employees; so, that together is a safe place for us to go during inclement weather,” she said. “It was built to sustain about 250 mph winds.”
The safe room provides shelter for the students – and a sigh of relief for the parents.
“We’re thrilled,” Boone said. “In Mississippi, when we start changing weather in October and November, this is a tornado time too, so they don’t have to worry about it. Down here, it’s all year round.”
Hogan said the new building provides a safe place for students.
“It’s great,” he said. “During bad weather, you don’t know whether to run buses or not. Parents really want to know that their kids are in the safest place possible. This will put a lot of people’s minds at ease.”
In addition to complementing the school’s building designs, the safe room can be used for other activities, Boone said.
“It also gives another building if we want to have a smaller place than the gym, we have a place,” she said. “If we want to give the ACT on a Saturday, we have a place.”
U.S. Sens. Roger Wicker and Cindy Hyde-Smith along with Rep. Steven Palazzo announced the funding for the FCAHS safe room on April 18, 2018.
Wicker said he was pleased “FEMA has recognized Forrest County’s continuing investments in storm safety since Hurricane Katrina. This grant will mean hundreds more Mississippians can seek refuge from our state’s unpredictable and sometimes dangerous weather.”
Hyde-Smith agreed.
“Leaders in Forrest County are determined to provide protection for residents through FEMA safe rooms,” she said. “Hazardous weather poses unique challenges for rural communities like many throughout our state.”
“The Pine Belt is no stranger to severe weather conditions, unfortunately,” Palazzo said. We may not be able to control the weather, but we can provide our citizens with adequate protection in the face of these events.”
The FEMA Hazard Mitigation Grant Program provides funding to states and local governments for long-term hazard mitigation activities designed to reduce the loss of life and property from natural disasters.