HARRISON COUNTY, MS (WLOX) -
Soon schools across Harrison County will be better protected from storms. FEMA has awarded the school district a $5.3 million grant to install wind-resistant screens over the school windows and rolled-down shutters on all the doors.
The district will retrofit every school building except the two new high schools, which already have the screens and shutters. The district will have to pitch-in about $275,000 to help pay for the project.
"It's a $5.3 or $5.4 million job. The federal government is putting up 95-percent and we're putting up five-percent of the money," School Superintendent Henry Arledge said. "The screens will stop a projection in a hurricane, supposed to, like up to 140 mile-an-hour wind."
The screens and shutters will also help block sunlight, which means the district could save on energy costs. The work is expected to start at the end of September.
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