Tornado Alley. Two words synonymous with Oklahoma, the central corridor in particular. We know extreme weather. In fact, every Okie I know says the same thing to the transplants. "You can tell a real Okie by the direction they go in the event of a storm." That direction being to the nearest covered porch to watch the thunderous murmurs wash over the countryside. There is a (possibly insane) calmness to the deafening thunderclaps and rain hitting metal roofs.
Romanticism aside, when the weather here becomes bad, it becomes fatal. Unfortunately, Oklahomans lose their lives every year to sever weather. Sometimes those Oklahomans are children, currently under State care at their schools.
Is it the role of the State government (especially the Governor) to spearhead the charge for shelter legislation?
It seems our current governor does not think so. Her idea to solve the issue is to allow more bonds to be taken out by municipalities to cover schools if that area feels it is appropriate. This mirrors Republican views that government should be handled at the smallest level possible. The shelter issue, then, can be seen as a local problem.
Joe Dorman, leader on the issue of sheltering Oklahoma's schools, disagrees. From Dorman's perspective, the safety of our children is a right while we are keeping them in State custody. Dorman has spearheaded a campaign to use the Oklahoma Franchise tax to raise $500 million dollars to retrofit storm shelters into every public school in the state. Estimates vary but tend to be around the $800 million dollar mark. The rest of the money could potentially be made up for with potential grants from FEMA.
The franchise tax would cost all of Oklahoma but would ensure that all of Oklahoma's public school kids have a place to go. The Fallin approach is a de facto permanent property tax increase in every school district that decides to build a shelter (how else will they pay?) Which is more fair? Does every part of Oklahoma need storm shelters? Should more dangerous communities pay more of a burden? After all, most tornados happen after 4pm when kids are supposed to be home from school.
This is a difficult question to answer. After all, it is the duty of the government to ensure the safety of its citizens and promote public good. The franchise tax forces Oklahoma communities to look out for one another, sharing Tornado Alley's burden on the entire state. It also guarantees that low income, rural communities will have access to the same shelters that upper income suburban districts will have.
It is also the duty of the government to spend its constituents money intelligently. Is it a better approach to decide where shelters should go based off of research first and not potential fear mongering?
I might lay down a suggestion for a third position. Maybe we should use a portion of the franchise tax to fund storm shelters. However, a task force should be put together to see where it needs to be done and where the spending would be wasteful. In this way, we will ensure the safety of the lives of Oklahoma's kids without a "bridge to nowhere" style spending problem.
The "Shelter for nothing" scandal... I can see it now. I'm going to keep this one short, voters. I think it is up to you to make a decision on this point if it is a sticking point for you. I can see both sides and understand what is at stake, and I understand both ideologies at this point. I honestly don't know which side of the fence I lay on (if looking at the plans put forth with no compromise).
Tornados are so often after school and don't affect the state equally, so I have a hard time asking for $800 million dollars spent on something like this, but I also understand the duty we have to protect our children from something that clearly does happen here.
What do you guys think? Should we be funding shelters for Oklahoma's schools? How about you take this back to the Facebook page, like us, and give your opinions? I think this is an issue that is much more built for dialogue than monologue.
Yes, we should absolutely be funding shelters for schools. Children DIED in Moore when the tornado struck, all because they didn't take shelter. What if one of those kids was your daughter or son? Would you want their school to have a shelter? I'm sure the families of those kids would have wanted one, no matter how expensive.
ReplyDeleteI honestly don't know why this is even a question. When it's a life-or-death situation, for CHILDREN nonetheless, the answer should be obvious. Thank you for posting this; it has enlightened me to an issue in the state government that I was unaware of. You've made me feel more strongly for having shelters in schools because I didn't know it was an issue until now.
~Sin (M.B.)
I agree. I believe that we should be funding shelters for all of our schools. Whether or not we place them determined on the previous patterns of tornadoes and their paths, I say we put them in all of our schools, regardless. It's better to have it and not need it, than to need it and not have it. I believe its not worth risking children's lives in order to save money. Weather is unpredictable, and when it's fatal, such as the Moore tornado, better to be safe than sorry. Thank you for blogging this. This was extremely informative and I enjoyed the read.
ReplyDeleteThis blog was very informative and I totally agree that we should be funding for shelters. I recently graduated high school last summer, from Westmoore High School, located between Moore and OKC. I was actually in school during the May 20th tornado. The students, faculty, and parents were relocated into a safe room designed to protect us from tornadoes. This safe room was actually built after Westmoore high school was hit by an F5 tornado on May 3rd, 1999. There was about 2400 people in the safe room which was really uncomfortable to be in. I had no clue that the May 20th tornado was so close to us until I saw a picture a police officer took when he was outside our campus. The tornado was literally right next to us which almost hit Westmoore for a second time. This blog made me strongly believe that all school should have a shelter. I was fortunate enough that the storm didn't affect my home or family but it did affect on my friends and their families. I strongly believe we should have more shelter for a safer environment!
ReplyDelete-Peter
This blog was very eye opening for the tornadoes that occur in the state of Oklahoma. I would take a stand with the side that agrees to install storm shelters in all public schools. It may take a lot of money, but the outcome would be worth it. According to the Huffington Post article, "Deadliest Tornadoes: The New 'Tornado Alley'", showcases a map that outlines the "old" tornado alley in Oklahoma verses the "new" tornado alley. This goes to show that tornado routes are forever changing and there is no way to accurately predict where a tornado will strike. I believe meteorologists can get a good idea where the tornado may be, but sometimes it's too late to evacuate to safety by the time a tornado hits ground. Why send our children to school if they aren't safe? In May of 1999, Moore, Oklahoma experienced an F5 deadly tornado. More than ten years later in 2013, an EF5 hit again devastating the whole state of Oklahoma when a school was hit and many were left wounded or dead. The Norman Weather Service Weather Forecast Office has issued tables and charts that date back to 1893 of the strong tornadoes that have hit Oklahoma. Granted some places are more prone to tornadoes, but that does not mean we should only provide protection to those schools. All public schools need shelter in this dangerous state. In the off chance a deadly tornado hits a town it's never hit, the state will be taking a lot of heat. It's better to be safe than sorry. If I were a parent, I would not send my child to school on a stormy day knowing that they aren't safe. I strongly believe it would be one of the wisest decisions to provide shelter.
ReplyDelete-Esilla Regalado
Although I have never seen or experienced a tornado firsthand, I believe that storm shelters should be built in all public schools. I am from Maine and have only lived in Oklahoma for a few months, but in that time I have met people who have told me stories about the devastation tornadoes bring with them, and how they affect people. The effect of the Moore tornado was felt all over the country, and I can even imagine what it must be been like to lose a child to something like that. It is the responsibility of the government to protect their citizens. We have troops fighting to protect us, but what about the threats in our own country? Like the comment above me says, it is better to be safe than sorry, and I don't understand how people can claim it is a waste of time/money to build shelters that could save a person's LIFE. No, they may not ever be utilized, but in the event that a tornado strikes and it DOES save the life of children, obviously it was a good investment. We live in a place that is literally called "Tornado Alley", is it really a question whether or not we should build shelters?
ReplyDelete