NEWTON, Iowa — Residents at Sunrise Terrace mobile home park are left with nowhere to go in the event of severe weather after management announced the closure of their only storm shelter.
Jasper County has already been hit with two tornadoes this year, and residents have utilized the storm shelter both times.
A mobile home can be a very dangerous place to be during severe storms.
"Trailers do give a unique issue when it comes to severe weather because they're just not build to withstand even 70 mile an hour winds, we usually see those flip or start to come apart pretty easily," said Jamey Robinson, director of Jasper County Emergency Management.
Residents were given no reason why the storm shelter was closing, causing frustrations and concerns that their safest place to be during storms, is not available.
"They have a valid concern right, they moved here thinking 'Oh I've got a storm shelter right here'," Robinson said.
One resident, who wanted to remain anonymous, told Local 5 that many people in the community are feeling uneasy about the situation.
They add that they used the shelter frequently, including during the storms that came in late April.
"We all piled in the shelter with our children and our elderly neighbors, who are unable to drive," they said.
The resident also added, "Many tenants are afraid to speak out with the fear of retaliation or being targeted by management for voicing our concerns."
According to Newton, Iowa Code, mobile home parks are required to provide storm shelter facilities. Multiple residents feared getting evicted if they spoke about their concerns.
Robinson said the EMA department has heard residents' concerns and will work for a solution.
"We're just learning about it last night," Robinson said. "And I talked to several people last night that were very concerned about it."
Jasper County EMA says in the meantime, residents should have a plan on where they will go if severe weather comes again.
"We'll continue to work with anybody who has questions, we will reach out to the manager and just see, you know, there could be some valid reasons why they're not going to provide that anymore," Robinson said.
Local 5 reached out to Sunrise Terrace for a comment but have not heard back yet.