AMARILLO, TEXAS -- The Panhandle Regional Planning Commission is awarding rebates for a tornado shelter rebate program to people from all 26 counties of the Texas Panhandle.
The only application requirement is the person must be a homeowner or a home developer with plans to sell to another homeowner.
Accepted applicants shop around and choose the shelter they want. The homeowners are responsible for making arrangements for the installment of the shelter and the rebate check is then cut back to either the installer or the homeowner.
PRPC Regional Services Director John Kiehl says the program provides rebate for 50 percent of the cost to install a shelter to a maximum of $3,000 and the program is not targeted toward any particular group.
"The whole purpose of the project's not so much about demographics and income," he said. "It's about protecting people's lives no matter where they happen to be and that's the goal of the program."
The shelters chosen by homeowners must meet the Federal Emergency Management Agency 320 standards, meaning the shelters must be able to withstand winds of 250 mph or more.
PRPC received additional funding from FEMA in 2010, and more than 550 of the 850 available shelters have been awarded.
