Michigan Safe Room Rebate Covers 75% of Construction Costs

While Michigan doesn't typically have to worry about earthquakes or hurricanes, it can still get some pretty gnarly storms year-round. In recent years, the frequency of severe weather has seemingly spiked without warning, with destructive tornadoes becoming more commonplace. When storms like this approach, it's essential to have a safe place to ride them out.

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But many homes don't have access to a secure area to take cover during severe weather. Michigan is looking to help fix this with a new program called the Michigan Safe Room Rebate Program, which gives homeowners the opportunity to construct a safe room at a fraction of its cost.

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Michigan Safe Room Rebate Program

Earlier this year, Southwest Michigan was hit with an EF3 tornado that leveled homes and businesses and resulted in four fatalities. The Michigan State Police Emergency Management and Homeland Security Division (MSP/EMHSD) is now accepting applications from Michigan homeowners to offset 75% of their costs "used to install and construct their safe room, up to a maximum of $7,131.75."

Now, there are three important things to keep in mind:

This is a rebate, meaning the room and its construction supplies must be purchased and completed prior to applying. Selected homeowners are being reimbursed, not receiving discounts.
Selected is the other keyword here. Only 50 homeowners will be randomly selected from among all applicants, and homes in tornado-risk areas will be given priority. If you choose to build a safe room, it's better to plan on not receiving a rebate. The real gift of this program is having a potentially life-saving room.
Applying homeowners must hire a contractor or company to construct/install the safe room.

Before applying, it is best to read the Safe Room Rebate FAQ's.