Jackson County plans March 6 shelter opening

ST. MARTIN, Miss. (AP) — The Jackson County Board of Supervisors will hold a ribbon cutting at the St. Martin hurricane shelter and safe house on March 6.

The Mississippi Press reports (http://bit.ly/13pXlTC ) the shelter is one of three identical shelters that were under simultaneous construction by the county since 2011.

Each of the shelters is 10,000 square foot and has been built to the Federal Emergency Management Agency's strict 361 sheltering guidelines.

They will be able to withstand 200 mph winds, have 8-inch thick concrete walls, up to 20,000 gallons of potable water, self-supporting utilities and will be able to house 350 people during a hurricane.

Each shelter cost $3 million dollars, with a vast majority of the funding coming from FEMA and the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency.

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Information from: The Mississippi Press, http://www.gulflive.com