ROGERS COUNTY, Okla. — Tornado season is here, and for thousands of Oklahomans, finding safe shelter is more complicated than ever.
Rogers County's storm shelter grant program is full, and funding for the state's program remains uncertain.
WATCH: Rogers County storm shelter grant is full, state funding uncertain for 2026
"We were inside when it happened," said Kenneth Dally. "Everything came down on top of us. It was rough."
Dally's Rogers County home got hit during one of the first severe outbreaks of the season last week.
Rogers County Emergency Management Director Scotty Stokes watched the need grow over the last decade — and worked to address it.
Local News
FEMA grant covers storm shelter costs for Rogers County
Back in 2024, 2 News spoke with Stokes about a federal grant program the county applied for to get safe rooms installed directly in homes. FEMA awarded Rogers County funding for 170 of them.
This is the first time Rogers County has taken part in a program like this in the 13 years Stokes has been with the department. He said it's been a success.
"We have talked to several of these individuals who have had these storm shelters installed in their homes through this grant process and they've sought shelter in those safe rooms multiple times," said Stokes.
All 170 spots are claimed, so they aren't taking new applications.
Though, Stokes said his community is still interested.
"We get calls every day, people hear something about this storm shelter grant," he said. "They hear from a family or relative or neighbor or somebody that notifies them that they have this grant. Well then, they're calling us, going, 'Hey, we want to be a part of that.'"
Another program meant to ease the financial burden of these life saving resources is also struggling.
WATCH: SoonerSafe offering storm shelter rebates for 2024 storm victims
The state Department of Emergency Management said its 'SoonerSafe Rebate Program' has not received FEMA funding to continue for 2026.
The SoonerSafe program is funded by FEMA grants for hazard mitigation. There are two programs that we’ve been able to use for funding: The Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP), which is a program that is typically funded after a disaster, and Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC).
FEMA ended the BRIC program in April 2025 – see attached FEMA advisory for details.
FEMA HMGP has not been approved for Oklahoma’s Major Disaster Declaration for the March 2025 wildfires or for the 20 Fire Management Assistance Grants we’ve received in 2025 and 2026. We don’t have any documented denial or additional information.
OEM is continuing to distribute SoonerSafe rebates from past year’s grants.
Stokes said if funding becomes available again for county grants, his team will apply.
"As long as we keep getting federally declared disasters for the communities, as long as they keep getting that funding then that funding should stay intact," Stokes said.
"In our area, we experience a lot of tornado storms," he said. "If there’s any advice I can give anybody is don’t wait for a grant like this. If you could get a storm shelter installed in your home to protect you and your family, do it now. Do it as soon as you can. Don’t wait for a grant to come around because it takes several years for these grants to come about and it may be too late by the time you get that.”
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