Arkansas' shelter initiative for residences and schools: mitigation case studies, August 2005

In 1996, the Governor recognized the state’s vulnerability to future severe weather events and declared an annual statewide Severe Weather Awareness Week. Using this campaign as a focal point, the Mitigation and Public Affairs Team (composed of staff from FEMA Region VI and ADEM) created a public education campaign with the goal to protect the lives and property of Arkansans and to reduce the cost of future natural disasters. This report includes a series of mitigation case studies that were integrated into the campaign, which demonstrate the viability of schools as safe community shelters.