IDHS Residential Safe Room Program

The Indiana Department of Homeland Security (IDHS) Residential Safe Room Program was developed in 2015 by the IDHS Hazard Mitigation Assistance Program to provide a rebate for the construction/installation of safe rooms for Indiana residences.

Safe rooms save lives. In an average year, 800 tornadoes are reported nationwide, resulting in 80 deaths and more than 1,500 injuries. A safe room provides a shield of protection. Studies demonstrate that a safe room can survive winds as high as 250 miles per hour.

Among their many services, the  Storm Prediction Center  (SPC) in Norman, OK provides the public with severe weather information and data, both as annual statistics and as climatology information.

The map to the left shows tornado history for Indiana from 1950 to 2018. (Click on individual tornado tracks or counties for more information.) For a more detailed look at tornadoes in Indiana, please visit the  IDHS "Tornadoes in Indiana" dashboard .

The maps below provide a more climatological perspective of how severe weather impacts the United States; Indiana is no stranger to tornadoes and straight-line winds.

What is a safe room?

A safe room is a hardened structure specifically designed to meet  FEMA criteria  and provide "near-absolute protection" in extreme weather events.

For the purposes of the IDHS Residential Safe Room Program, the term "safe room" includes any above or below-ground residential shelter that meets or exceeds guidelines stated in the most recent versions of  FEMA P-320 ("Taking Shelter from the Storm: Building a Safe Room for Your Home or Small Business")  and  FEMA P-361 ("Safe Rooms for Tornadoes and Hurricanes: Guidance for Community and Residential Safe Rooms") , as well as  ICC 500 ("Standards for the Design and Construction of Storm Shelters") .

FEMA P-320 vs. FEMA P-361

FEMA P-320 - Provides guidance specifically aimed at homeowners, builders and contractors.

FEMA P-361 - Provides design/construction guidance primarily intended for registered design professionals.

Visit the  FEMA website  for more information about publications related to safe rooms, including construction plans.

The video on the right shows an above-ground safe room installation funded by  Indiana Voluntary Organizations Active in Disasters (INVOAD)  in Greentown, IN.

Funding

Indiana is providing the Residential Safe Room rebate program through the FEMA Pre-Disaster Mitigation Grant Program. Therefore, IDHS must comply with all federal grant regulations for each rebate recipient.

How the program works

This is a reimbursement program, therefore homeowners will pay the full cost for a safe room up front and then be reimbursed for up to 75 percent, with a maximum of $4,500, of the eligible costs to construct and install a FEMA compliant safe room at their residence.

In the event that more applications are received than the agency is able to award, the program will use a random selection process to select names. This process will allow everyone who registers to have an equal chance to be selected. Only one person may register per physical home address.

The recipients will be notified after each application period has closed and the selection process has occurred. Recipients will be notified via the email address and/or phone number provided during registration.

Recent installations

The map to the left show recent safe room installations, and the type of safe room that was installed. The safe room located in Greentown, IN was funded through and INVOAD partnership and not directly through the IDHS Residential Safe Room Program. Click on a point on the map for more information.