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Toledo Councilman criticizes Bell Administration on tornado plan
Posted: 04.24.2012 at 12:29 AM
Angi Gonzalez

Angi is the evening anchor for WNWO at 6 and 11.

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The tornado that damaged Lake High School and killed 7 in the area, in 2010, was the reason behind developing a tornado shelter plan for Toledo.  / WNWO File Photo
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TOLEDO -- On Monday, Toledo City Councilman Mike Collins organized a committee meeting to discuss a tornado shelter plan for the city’s mobile home residents.

Collins claims that the Bell administration has not presented such a plan, to him, after several attempts by his office to obtain the information.  

“This started in 2010, with direct correspondence to the Mayor's office through the fire and rescue division,” Collins said.

The District 2 Councilman says the group was “seeking information” on where city officials would be instructing residents, living in mobile homes, to seek shelter in the event of a tornado warning.

“I am talking about seeking, within the community itself, areas that are in the proximity of manufactured home parks that can be available should those residents wish to go there for safe shelter,” Collins said.

A spokeswoman for Mayor Mike Bell’s office says there are both a dedicated Toledo police officer and fire official designated to work on such a plan with the Lucas County Emergency Management Agency.

They feel Collins is attacking them now because they, to this point, haven’t given him the answer he wants to hear.  

“It’s my understanding the [Bell] administration will not participate,” Collins maintains.

Under that assumption, Collins chose to coordinate a committee meeting to discuss the issue on his own.

“I think we owe them an answer as to where they should go…at least our City Council is concerned about the residents of manufactured houses,” Collins added.

According the Lucas County Auditor's Office, there are 1426 mobile homes in Toledo.

During an interview with the Toledo Blade, the Emergency Management Agency Director for Lucas County, said he does not keep track of which parks have shelters, but said from experience he doubts that many do.

The state’s Department of Health does not require mobile home parks, in Ohio, to provide tornado shelters for its residents.

 

 

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