DCH Regional Medical Center to use $1.3M FEMA grant to strengthen windows against storm winds
By Chris Pow | AL.com | May 16, 2013

TUSCALOOSA -- A $1.3 million federal grant will allow DCH Regional Medical Center to shore up some of its windows against strong winds.

The grant, funded through the Federal Emergency Management Agency's Hazard Mitigation Grant program, will give the hospital the opportunity to retrofit existing windows to withstand winds of up to 250 miles per hour. The hospital will make those improvements to windows in parts of the hospital where patients cannot be relocated.

U.S. Rep. Robert Aderholt, R-Haleyville, announced the grant last month.

"As our communities continue to rebuild from the April 2011 tornadoes, it is important that we not only rebuild, but rebuild stronger and safer in the event storms like this strike again," Aderholt said in a statement.

The EF4 tornado that devastated much of Tuscaloosa on April 27, 2011, ripped past the DCH Regional Medical Center, destroying nearby houses in Cedar Crest and the Wood Square shopping center. The hospital received some damage, including to some windows, and treated hundreds of people injured in the storm while operating on a generator.

"Though the relief crews and the national spotlight have moved on, these funds are another example of ongoing federal support to bring our communities back to life and the potential to save lives in the future," Aderholt said.

"We thank Congressman Aderholt and his staff in helping us to secure this grant," Sammy Watson, DCH Community Relations director, said in a news release. "DCH also thanks FEMA for recognizing the importance of this project. This grant has the potential to save the lives of our most vulnerable citizens, and DCH looks forward to the completion of this project."

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