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Carthage R-9 Community Storm Shelters

Carthage R-9 Community Storm Shelters  

Carthage R9 Schools will provide shelter opportunities to four areas of the Carthage community for quicker access to a safe area.   The R9 district has a Community FEMA Storm Shelter and three School Storm Shelters.  Please see the definitions below:

Community FEMA Storm Shelter

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Safe Rooms are owned by the Carthage School District and its first function is to provide protection for the students and staff during tornado and extreme high wind events during school hours.  Carthage R9 has one community shelter located at the Carthage Junior High School.  This shelter is available 24 hours per day/seven days per week when a tornado warning is issued, even during school hours. 

Community FEMA Storm Shelter:

 School Storm Shelters - available after school hours only. 

School Storm Shelters are not available to the public during school hours as the shelter occupancy levels were designed only for students and staff. 

School Storm Shelter locations:  

School Storm Shelters will be open for public use during non-school hours.

  • Carthage Junior High School - 827 E Centennial  Carthage, MO 64836
  • Columbian Elementary - 1015 West Macon Carthage, MO 64836
  • Carthage Intermediate Center - 2851 S Chapel Rd Carthage, MO 64836
  • Pleasant Valley Elementary - 652 County Road 180 Carthage, MO 64836

 

 

Helpful Resources

Community Storm Shelter Information

The Carthage R-9 School District has one community safe room available in the event of severe weather. The location is:

Carthage Junior High School
827 E Centennial
Carthage, MO 64836

Severe weather season never seems to end in Southwest Missouri. Unfortunately, severe weather seems to intensify as spring weather patterns develop.

As a reminder, Carthage Junior High School is the only community shelter in Carthage. The shelter is available 24 hours per day/seven days per week when a tornado warning is issued, even during school hours. Additional information can be found on our district website under the Community tab.

Please remember the other school storm shelters are not available during school hours as the shelter occupancy levels were designed only for students and staff.

However, storm shelters at Columbian Elementary, Carthage Intermediate Center, and Pleasant Valley Elementary will be open for public use during non-school hours. Hopefully, providing shelter opportunities to four areas of the community will provide quicker access to a safe area.

Contact Dr. Holley Goodnight (359-7000) or Don Cox (359-7085) for more information.

Maximum Capacity

The maximum capacity for the community safe room is 2079.

Community Safe Room Rules

 

  • During School hours, students and staff have priority for Safe Room occupancy.
  • The Safe Room is open only to the public when a tornado warning or a severe weather event with winds in excess of 75 mph has been issued in our area an d/or the tornado sirens have been sounded.
  • The Safe room will remain open only until the watch and/or warning is lifted.  When the watch and/or warning expires, the Safe Room must be evacuated.
  • During school hours, a Safe Room Manager is in charge and will be on duty to maintain the facility and to close it after the watch and/or warning expires.  After school hours a volunteer Safe Room
  • Supervisor will be in charge.  Please follow the directions of the Safe Room Manager/Supervisor or other school personnel at all times.
  • Weapons are prohibited in the Safe Room and on all school property.
  • Smoking or the use of tobacco in any form is prohibited in Safe Rooms and on all school property.
  • Alcohol and drugs (other than those prescribed by a doctor) are prohibited in Safe Rooms and on all school property.
  • As per FEMA guidelines, no animals are allowed in Community Safe Rooms.
  • Radios or music devices may be used only with individual earphones.
  • Safe Room doors must be closed at all times.

 

Safe Room at Carthage Junior High

The logo for the Carthage R-9 School District.

RE: Carthage R-9 School District Community Safe Room at Carthage Junior High School

Dear Friends and Neighbors of Carthage Schools,

We are pleased to announce that the Carthage Schools Safe Room at the Carthage Junior High School is
completed and is ready to use during tornado and high wind events. The Community Safe Room is located at 827
E. Centennial Carthage, MO 64836.

The Community Safe Room is owned by the Carthage Schools, and its first function is to provide protection for
Carthage Junior High students and staff during tornado and extreme high wind events during school hours. During
and after school hours, the Safe Room will also be available to residents who do not have safe locations to take
shelter, such as a basement, and who live with what we refer to as the “Tornado Protection Zone” (TPZ).
The TPZ (see map on next page) represents a half-mile radius around the school and roughly five-minute or less
walking distance to the Safe Room at the Carthage Junior High School. Please note: due to the estimated time
necessary to safely reach the Safe Room after a weather warning has been issued and the Safe Room’s maximum
capacity of 2079 persons, including the student body and staff, the Safe room is not designed to provide shelter
for those who live beyond this protection zone.

Your official notification that the Safe Room is open will be through your NOAA weather radio. The
Safe Room will be opened with the National Weather Service issues a Tornado Warning, or severe weather event
with winds in excess of 75 mph for our area. If a weather warning is issued after school hours, the doors will
open automatically and a local first responder will be there to supervise the facility for the duration of the
weather warning.

In this packet you will find:
• Tornado Protection Zone map representing the area served by the Community Safe Room
• Safe Room entrance floor plan map, showing you where to enter the Safe Room
• Community Safe Room Rules
• Tornado Safety Tips
• Special Needs Form (physical impairments, special medical alerts, aid animal instructions, etc., to be completed
and returned within one week of receipt of this letter)

Please review the information carefully. We are pleased to be able to provide a Community Safe Room for our
students, staff, and neighborhoods around Carthage Junior High School. You will find additional information about
our safe rooms, including frequently asked questions on our website at www.carthagetigers.org. If you have any
questions, please call Dr. Holley Goodnight, Carthage Schools Assistant Superintendent for Business, at
417-359-7000.
Sincerely,
Dr. Holley Goodnight
Assistant Superintendent for Business
709 W. Centennial Ave., Carthage, Missouri 64836 Phone: 417.359.7000 FAX: 417.359.7004
www.carthagetigers.org

 

Tornado Safe Room Special Needs Form