AnnistonStar printed a letter from Sherry Norris, executive director of the Alabama Manufactured Housing Association in Montgomery. Norris responded to Alabama Governor Robert Bentley’s proposal to use Community Development Block Grant funds for use in shelters for all forms of housing, not just in ‘mobile and manufactured home parks.’ “Rather than discriminate against citizens who live in mobile-home and manufactured-home communities, the fair solution would be for local governments to provide storm shelters for all its citizens for when tornadoes hit any type of housing, business or schools.” Norris wrote. “As shown in the horrible tornadoes of this year in Alabama, all types of structures can be destroyed.” Norris emphasized that “Evidence from Hurricane Charley and Hurricane Katrina, when winds exceeded 145 mph., has shown that manufactured homes built to the new wind standards of 1994 withstood those hurricanes when site-built homes and businesses were destroyed.”

(Photo credit: AMHA)