MEMPHIS, Tenn — The first-of-its-kind "tornado safe room" in West Tennessee is now located at Belle Forest Community School.
Memphis-Shelby County Schools (MSCS) held a ribbon-cutting celebration for the new room on Friday morning.
The facility is a two-in-one addition for Belle Forest. The school says it will provide students with a "world-class" gymnasium for physical education as well as sports activities.
Reportedly, it is also a Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)-approved safe house facility, built for the surrounding community in the event of a tornado or natural disaster.
"We're not just concerned about educating the child," Joyce Dorse Coleman, MSCS board vice chair said. "We're concerned about the entire family — how we can assist and help our families through difficult times."
Coleman said the new safe room will also serve as an event center of sorts.
"We will bring the community together," she said.