Moody dedicates new storm shelter to honor those lost on April 27, 2011

By Hannah Curran, Editor

MOODY — The City of Moody dedicated a new storm shelter on Wednesday, May 11, to honor those who lost their lives on April 27, 2011.

Moody has two storm shelters and plans to add more. (Photo courtesy of the City of Moody)

Moody now has two storm shelters located at City Park next to the tennis courts and behind Whites Chapel Community Center. Both shelters can accommodate 95 people and will be opened by Moody Police Officers anytime a tornado watch is issued.

Mayor Joe Lee said that the city has wanted to have a place where people could go during severe weather. He explained that the 2011 storm was a terrible time for the city of Moody.

“We have two storm shelters now,” Lee said. “It’s been something that’s been on our mind since the storm on April 27, 2011, and due to the expanse, we’ve not been able to put them in, but this year, we finally get to work it into our budget.” 

Lee said that the shelters are open to the public and can be used as needed during severe weather.

The shelters were dedicated to the lives lost on April 27, 2011. (Photo courtesy of the City of Moody)

“We’ve always opened our civic center, but it’s not a true storm shelter, so we wanted a true storm shelter that can withstand the winds of a tornado,” Lee said. “They were about $125,000 each to get them installed.”

Both shelters have power generators, so people are never in the dark, and Moody plans to install more shelters in the future. 

“We do have plans for future growth of storm shelters,” Lee said. “We want one to the north end of the city of Highway 411 North, and we’d like to have one out toward Highway 78.”

Lee explained that the shelters are open to anyone that wants to use them.

“It’s not just limited to people that live in Moody, they’re open to the public,” Lee said. “We realized the need we just couldn’t get them worked into our budget until now, but we have plans to build more.”