Safe rooms taking Tulsa by storm

(Oklahoma City-AP) -- Tulsa homebuilders are working on making safe rooms a popular option in Tulsa. <br><br>Josh Fowler is executive vice president of the Tulsa Home Builders Association. Fowler told

Wednesday, May 3rd 2000, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

(Oklahoma City-AP) -- Tulsa homebuilders are working on making safe rooms a popular option in Tulsa.

Josh Fowler is executive vice president of the Tulsa Home Builders Association. Fowler told attendees of the National Tornado Symposium today that he estimates that 150 to 200 safe rooms have been built in Tulsa homes in the past year. And he says as many as 400 pre-fabricated safe rooms have been placed in existing homes.

Ann Patton is director of the Project Impact program -- a program started in November 1998 to promote safe rooms in Tulsa. But she says the storms of May Third, 1999 made Tulsa residents more aware of the need to consider the safe rooms as a way to protect themselves against storms.

Tulsa home builders did not want safe room construction mandated by the city. But the association has taken the lead in promoting safe rooms as an option for homeowners.