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Every time tornado warnings sound in Freeborn County, we think of former 5th District Commissioner Mike Lee’s pleas to develop an emergency shelter for residents living in the mobile home parks or houses without basements in southeastern Albert Lea.

When a tornado warning sounds now, where do these residents go to find shelter — and will that shelter be sufficient enough to protect them from the elements?

According to the National Weather Service, no mobile home, regardless of how it is configured, is safe in a tornado.

When this issue was discussed in previous years, the emergency shelter was proposed to be built at Sondergaard Park in Albert Lea, which borders Gene Street on the west and south, Interstate Molding & Manufacturing and Myers Road on the north and Hot-Line Freight System on the east. The structure would be required to withstand an EF3 tornado.

County officials previously stated they were seeking funding through the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program, which provides grants to states and local governments to implement long-term hazard mitigation measures after a major disaster declaration. When it was brought up in the past, the grant would pay for 75% while the city would pay for 25%.

We encourage the county to continue to seek this grant or others to support this much-needed project.

It could be the difference between life and death for many in the community.

In the meantime, we hope these residents — and all residents in the community — make sure you have an emergency plan in place for your family and that all family members have practiced it in the event an emergency arises.

The plan should include things like emergency alerts, a shelter plan, an evacuation route and a communication plan.

It’s better to be prepared than scrambling at the last minute.