COFFEE CO., Ala. (WDHN)—Today marks one month before the start of the 2023 hurricane season and the storms pose a special risk to people who live in mobile homes manufactured housing, and R.V. parks.

Nearly five years ago, Hurricane Michael as a cat-5 made landfall in Mexico Beach in eastern Bay County. It would bring devastation to the panhandle coast, but also devastation to the wiregrass and Southwest, Georgia.

Coffee County EMA Director, James Brown, plans to canvass churches and owners of fortified buildings within five minutes of a mobile home park, R.V. Parks such shelters would save lives for those living in structures subject to being destroyed.

Colin Johnston owns and operates a mobile home park in Enterprise. He says “Many of the churches are not structurally safe themselves, so those churches wouldn’t want to do that. But some are strong and they did in the past when we need it, and I assume they will in the future.”

Brown says by having church shelters close to mobile home parks it could save lives in the event of the unthinkable.

“Because we do have a lot of mobile and modular homes, we’re looking for safer places for citizens. So we’re reaching out to a lot of our churches to see how many mobile home and modular homes in a five-minute window of those churches so we can provide safer places for our citizens to shelter,” said Brown

Brown says church clergy and others who have fortified buildings near mobile home parks are asked to contact his office if they’re willing to serve as shelters.