Okla. State Rep calls for more tornado shelters in mobile home parks
Winter Storm Warnings for Atoka..Choctaw...Coal...Garvin...Murray...Pontotoc...Pushmataha Counties....Heavy snow expected over Oklahoma portions of Texoma Saturday and Saturday night...Winter Weather Advisory in effect for all other counties not listed...including all of north Texas....
Save Email Print
Updated: 8:48 PM Jun 10, 2009
Okla. State Rep calls for more tornado shelters in mobile home parks
LONE GROVE, OK -- It has been four months to the day since an E-F4 tornado touched down in Lone Grove. The town is rebuilding and many residents are moving on, but now state leaders want to make sure that next time all residents are prepared when Mother Nature strikes.
Posted: 5:57 PM Jun 10, 2009
Reporter: Daniel Armbruster
Email Address: daniel.armbruster@kxii.com
Font Size:

LONE GROVE, OK -- It has been four months to the day since an E-F4 tornado touched down in Lone Grove. The town is rebuilding and many residents are moving on, but now state leaders want to make sure that next time all residents are prepared when Mother Nature strikes.

State Representative Pat Ownbey says he was personally moved by the disasters that hit on February 10. Now he is taking steps that residents in lone grove say should have been taken long ago.

It only takes seconds for a tornado to destroy a mobile home. Most of the victims in the tornado's deadly path lived in mobile home parks. Now Representative Pat Ownbey tells First News he wants to prevent what happened on that night from ever happening again.

Ownbey filed a request to hold an interim study to determine if it is possible to install tornado shelters in all mobile home parks. Ownbey says he is unsure if he wants to mandate that park owners install the shelters, but maybe rather offer tax incentives to the owners that do.

Ownbey said in a statement he was troubled by the loss of life in the February tornado and wanted to address tornado safety in a way that would prevent similar deaths in the future.

Ownbey says he is still waiting on the house leadership to approve the study, but says he wants to include mobile home park managers, the State Emergency Management Office, and other legislators.


Doppler 12 Live
AP Video on KXII
In The Community
Texoma group spends Spring Break helping others

Last Updated: 4:38 PM 03/16/10 - DENISON, TX--A local non-profit organization is giving back to the community by helping those in need improve their homes. It's called “Project Crosswalk.” (Full Story)
Seeds of Hope Luncheon

Last Updated: 8:00 AM 03/16/10 - Its time for the Annual Seeds of Hope Luncheon to benefit the Crisis Center. (Full Story)
GCC receives $675,000 grant
Last Updated: 5:56 PM 03/12/10 - DENISON, TX - Grayson County College received a large grant today that will provide training for jobs at local businesses. The college's Center for Workplace Learning was notified it would be given more than $600,000 in a Skills Development Fund grant from the Texas Workforce Commission.
(Full Story)
Volunteers needed to read to Denison kids

Last Updated: 2:59 PM 03/09/10 - DENISON, TX--It's Texas Public School week and Denison I-S-D needs volunteer readers As soon as possible for this week's Star Reader Program. On Tuesday, (Full Story)
Tom Bean police officer honored for heroism

Last Updated: 5:59 PM 03/08/10 - TOM BEAN, TX - Tom Bean Police Officer Larry Rittenhouse was named the Hero of the Year at the city council meeting Monday night in Tom Bean. (Full Story)
More Headlines