Sen. Ossoff delivering new resources to construct a hurricane and tornado safe room on Tybee Island
Shelter will protect first responders & emergency personnel responding to hurricanes & other natural disasters
Last year, Sen. Ossoff passed bipartisan legislation into law to protect Tybee Island from storm surge & coastal flooding
Tybee Island, Ga. — U.S. Senator Jon Ossoff is delivering public safety upgrades to keep Tybee Island residents safe.
Sen. Ossoff is delivering new resources through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to construct a new hurricane and tornado safe room on Tybee Island, providing a safe area for emergency personnel who must remain on the Island during hurricanes and other disaster situations.
The new safe room, which Sen. Ossoff secured with bipartisan support, will also serve as additional protective shelter for any residents who cannot evacuate safely in the time necessary. There are currently almost 800 Tybee Island residents living within half a mile of the new facility.
“After passing my Tybee Island Storm Risk Management Act into law last year, today I am delivering the resources to construct a hurricane and tornado safe room near the Tybee Island fire station,” Sen. Ossoff said. “I thank Mayor Shirley Sessions and Chatham County Chairman Chester Ellis for their leadership in helping secure this grant to save lives in Coastal Georgia.”
“We are so thankful and appreciative of Senator Ossoff’s continued support in helping Tybee’s resiliency efforts, including this recent funding to build a safe room for our first responders and residents,” Mayor Shirley Sessions said. “Because Tybee Island is a small, barrier island, with just one road on and off, this shelter will greatly increase our ability to save lives and respond to emergencies.”
“I would like to thank Senator Ossoff’s office for securing this funding. This shelter will allow Tybee Island critical workforce staff to safely shelter during natural disasters ensuring a quicker response to an incident,” Chatham County Chairman Chester A. Ellis said. “Resilience after a disaster is important not only to the Tybee Community but the County as a whole.”
In the last century, Tybee Island has suffered from more than 78 hurricanes and 15 reported tornadoes, and the Island remains a high-risk area for flooding over the next 30 years.
Last year, Sen. Ossoff’s bipartisan legislation to protect Tybee Island from storm surge, beach erosion, and coastal flooding was signed into law. This law will extend the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ authority to partner with Tybee Island for another 12 years.
