Public Shelter Policy in Oklahoma: Yes for Nukes, No for Natural Disasters

• Joe Wertz
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  Joe Wertz was a reporter and managing editor for StateImpact Oklahoma from 2011-2019. He reported on energy and environment issues for national NPR audiences and other national outlets. He previously worked as a managing editor, assistant editor and staff reporter at several major Oklahoma newspapers and studied journalism at the University of Central Oklahoma.

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Oklahoma had licensed more than a half-million public shelters in the mid-'60s, like this one in a Post Office in Sapulpa.

When tornado sirens sound, Oklahomans are on their own.

State leaders encourage people to stay put where they are. But that’s a big change from days many Oklahomans can still remember, when community shelters were seen as crucial to protecting the public from a very different type of disaster.