LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — A Little Rock based group has been pushing for the return of a statewide program that ended in 2016 due to a lack of funds. The Shelter Rebate Program provided funds to those who installed a tornado shelter or safe room at their residence.
President of the Coalition of Little Rock Neighborhoods, Kathy Wells, has been pushing for that program to return.
"It's a thoughtful, classic preparedness action to save your life and that of your family," Wells said. "In the event that the debris has collapsed around you, you remain safe in that room until a search party can find you."
Though installing those rooms and shelters is not cheap. Arkansas Storm Shelters out of Russellville explained that the average cost for them to install one is between $5,000 and $10,000.
The Shelter Rebate Program paid people up to $1,000— which is something that Wells said we need again.
"We concluded that we should begin very vigorous advocacy to bring back the $1,000 rebates," she added.
Wells and other members of the Coalition of Little Rock Neighborhoods held a meeting over the weekend and invited Little Rock Mayor Frank Scott, Jr.
We asked his team for a statement of his thoughts on the push.
"Our priority is keeping our residents safe, so we look forward to considering any program that addresses public safety needs, like safe rooms or storm shelter rebates. We hope to talk with ADEM in the coming days about the potential for reviving the rebate initiative," said Communications Director, Aaron Sadler.
Wells said the city should consider it. Not just for residences, but city buildings as well, which would give the community spaces to go during severe weather.
"The first duty of any government is the protection of the citizens," she said. "So let's save lives, and let the state surplus be applied to as many rebates as we can find."
We reached out to Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders, as funds for the Shelter Rebate Program used to come from disaster funds. We were told by her communications team that the program is currently not a topic of discussion.
We've also reached out to the Arkansas Division of Emergency Management, or ADEM, to comment on the push to bring this back, and are waiting to hear back.