The City of Bessemer will cut the ribbon on both its Community Storm Shelter and its Emergency Operations Storm Shelter on Wednesday, October 16, 2019, at 10 a.m.

The shelters, the first in the city, are located adjacent to the Bessemer Police Department’s Emergency Operations Center at 651 Ninth Avenue Southwest.

The ribbon-cutting will include remarks from the Mayor and residents will have an opportunity to tour the facilities. The Community Storm Shelter can hold up to 100 people in the event of hazardous weather while the Emergency Operations Shelter can hold up to 60 public safety personnel.

The shelters were made possible through a combination of local funds and federal funding by way of FEMA.

The City of Bessemer is no stranger to severe weather. In 2014 and again in 2016, severe storms produced tornadoes in our city. The National Weather Service in Birmingham has designated October 16 as Fall Severe Weather Awareness Day in Alabama.