FEMA-APPROVED: Catoosa school extends storm shelter to community

Catoosa Public School board unanimously approved the dome cafeteria to act as a community storm shelter during nonschool hours.

"It really is nice, especially last time when the clouds were looking so terrible. I was like, ‘Where are we going to go?’ so now that I know it’s right there, pal out the emergency exit immediately," said Fredrice Shaw an employee at a neighboring business.

Shaw is also a former CPS student who is proud of the school's decision.

"Last time we went to Walmart and we just kind of snuck out in the back room so I think it’s pretty cool that they’re doing that," said Shaw.

It’s giving the community more peace of mind. The building has been at the school for a bit but can offer more.

"It’s been FEMA-approved since 2016 when it was built. But it’s been used primarily by our students and staff during school hours. What we wanted to do was use it outside of school hours for our community," said Assistant Superintendent Timothy Ray.

The building is opening its doors to the community. However, there are a couple of caveats. It will only be open to the public after school hours.

For additional safety, the doors will close when a tornado warning is issued and lock once the sirens blare.

"It’s all about planning, and you know, in our community in 1993, we had a tornado come through. It’s really affected our community even so long ago. So we just want to do our part in providing a place for someone to utilize who may not have a safe place during those times," said Ray.

This space can also be used as a community hub after the storm. It has air conditioning and a full kitchen.

Similar to the space 2 News saw at the school Barnsdall if a storm causes large amounts of damage, this building may act as a community base.

"Yeah, it is a fully functioning kitchen. We have two restrooms that are available as you can feel it’s air-conditioned, it feels good in here," said Ray.

It’s a place people can plan for. When it comes to the next large storm, you may find Shaw in the shelter.

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