Osage Nation housing has rolled out the storm shelter assistance program for its tribal members.
According to the Osage Nation housing website, applicants can receive up to $5,000 of storm shelter assistance per Osage household to purchase, install or rehabilitate an existing shelter.
“The program is for any type of storm shelter indoor or outdoor or repair,” Housing Director Talee Redcorn said. “It’s up to $5,000 per Osage homeowner regardless of income and regardless of where they live.”
The housing website says the applicant must complete an application, provide photo identification for every adult living in the household and an invoice for the storm shelter. The tribal member must be a homeowner and provide several documents to the housing department. A full list of documents can be found on the housing website.
Osage County is no stranger to tornadoes. According to the National Weather Service, since 1970, over 80 tornadoes have cut paths across the county. More than 15 of these have been strong to violent tornadoes rated EF-2 or greater, with the most recent devastating tornado hitting Barnsdall in May, which was rated an EF-4.
“We want to increase the homeowner’s ability to feel safe in their home,” Redcorn said. “To let them know the Osage Nation’s response when things happen to our people. I was amazed how quickly both our department and Congress responded, as well as the government and our executive branch, on how we could alleviate problems brought on by the storm.”
Marissa Turley, the housing program coordinator for the Osage Nation, serves on the Barnsdall city council and believes it is essential for Oklahomans to have storm shelters, as Oklahoma has notoriously unpredictable weather.
“I believe it is very important to have storm shelters to save people’s lives,” Turley said. “I live in Barnsdall; we just went through the EF-4 tornado and we had two casualties. I believe it’s very important with Oklahoma weather and you just never know that its coming. Thank God for technology, but you just never really know how bad it is.”
The Barnsdall EF-4 was a wake-up call to many citizens in the county, including the Osage Nation.
“I believe that did spark a response from the Nation,” she said. “A lot of departments from the Osage Nation jumped in and came to Barnsdall immediately and provided a lot of service for our residents there. I think once they saw that this can happen right here in our own backyard, that it is time.”
Bart Perrier, Osage County Sheriff Elect, and his wife, Julia Perrier, have a ranch outside of Barnsdall, and their property took a direct hit in the EF-4 tornado. They ended up losing their home.
“It really wasn’t a surprise because the weather predicted there could be bad tornadoes in the area,” Perrier said. “But when you grow up in Oklahoma, you never truly expect to be hit by a tornado.
“So many people go to the cellar or the storm shelter, and then they come out. I’ve done it before, it’s just a common occurrence.”
The Perriers didn’t have a storm shelter, so that night Bart and Julia loaded up and drove a mile to his aunt’s house to take shelter as the storm bore down on Barnsdall. He thought it would be the usual close call, as many Oklahomans have, but this time was different.
“Same old routine, you go to the cellar, and you come out,” he said. “Well, this one was nothing routine. In the cellar, we knew it was hitting, we heard it and felt it.”
The Perriers are in the process of rebuilding their home, and they have applied for the Nation’s storm shelter assistance to have a new cellar installed outside their backdoor. Like many people in the path of the Barnsdall tornado that night, the Perriers’ views on Oklahoma weather have changed.
“Hopefully we never have to use it, but we’ve become believers in the weather,” he said. “You don’t expect it, so when it truly hits, it hits home.”
Oklahoma being a tornado prone state, Perrier offered some advice to homeowners who do not have storm shelters.
“I’m a firm believer that every resident in Oklahoma needs a storm shelter,” he said. “If you own property, you need a storm shelter.”
Perrier is very grateful for the Osage Nation helping tribal members get storm shelters if members need one.
“I think it’s fantastic what the Osage Nation is doing for the members and giving people an opportunity to purchase one, because they are very expensive,” he said. “We’re spending a lot of money on a house, so it’s very fortunate that they’re giving us an opportunity to get a shelter and they’re footing the bill. That’s fantastic for the Nation, I believe.”
Perrier also praised the Osage Nation’s response to the aftermath of the Barnsdall tornado. Not only did the Nation provide a quick response to Barnsdall residents with mobile units and financial assistance, they provided assistance in multiple ways to the Perriers, including clean up on their property.
“The maintenance crew for the Osage Nation came out and did tree removal on our place,” he said. “They showed up with a chainsaw crew, of at least a dozen, maybe two dozen employees, out there for a week just cutting up trees and helping remove stuff. It didn’t go unrecognized. What they did in a week saved me months. I can’t give the Osage Nation enough praise, they really stepped up and helped in a time of need.”
The storm shelter assistance bill was originally proposed in 2022, and was backed by ON Congressmen Eli Potts and Joe Tillman, however, the proposed funding didn’t pass for almost two years, until a special session was held May 16.
“I initially introduced the bill in September of 2022,” Congressman Potts said. “What we passed in May was a modified version of the bill initially filed almost two years prior. Unfortunately, it just took time for some members of Congress to realize that we had a good thing stuck in committee. My hope is that we give all legislation more attention so that we don’t end up ‘reacting’ to the next natural disaster. We had a chance to be proactive and I hope we take that chance on the next bill instead of shelving it in committee.”
Keli Cain, the Public Affairs Director for the Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management says storm shelters are important for a multitude of reasons.
“While most tornadoes can be survived by taking shelter in an interior room of your home on the lowest floor, a safe room or storm shelter is the best way to protect your family during a tornado,” Cain said. “Community shelters are much less common now and leaving home to drive to a shelter location can be more dangerous than sheltering in place. Having a safe room or storm shelter in your garage or backyard can also help ease anxiety for children and pets.”
Perrier hopes that having a new storm shelter on their property will help give him and his family peace of mind.
“To be able to sleep at night and know that we have a shelter right out our door is fantastic.”
Tribal members who are interested in applying for storm shelter assistance may fill out an application on the Osage Nation housing website https://www.osagenation-nsn.gov/services/housing
