Salem Township has won an $800,000 Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) grant that will fund two storm shelter safe rooms; convenience centers engineered to resist an EF-4 Tornado winds of 250 miles per hour at Sandy Pines Campground Resort,  and two all-hazard warning sirens to alert Phase 6 of Sandy Pines, St. Mary’s Visitation School and, with its two mile radius,  parts of Dorr Township.

To apply for the grant, a threat assessment plan of the township, was developed by the Allegan County Emergency Management Department, made part of the Allegan County All-Hazards Mitigation Plan, adopted by Salem Township and approved by FEMA Region 5.

“This would not be possible if not for the tireless efforts by particular individuals such as (Salem Township Supervisor) Jim Pitsch and Steve Deyarmond, who were instrumental in collecting the necessary data to show the need for protection of campers, visitors and the surrounding community of Sandy Pines Campground Resort,” Emergency Management Director Scott Corbin said.

Corbin credited Pitsch and the township officials for their leadership in seeing the project to completion, and encouraged other municipalities to apply for the types of grants that make communities more resistant to these types of hazards.

“I am extremely proud of our team and the efforts put forth on these grant projects and thank them for their time,” Pitch said.

FEMA’s Region 5,  Michigan State Police Hazard Mitigation Division, Allegan County Emergency Management, Salem Township and Sandy Pines Resort collaborated on the grant.

Contact the Allegan County Emergency Management with questions on completing grant applications.