From his driveway, High can see the elementary school just down the street. High chose this rental house in 2008 because of its proximity to a public school that was an officially-designated public shelter. And no one but him seems to see this as a problem. But High can't afford the kind he would need - one that would allow him to quickly roll his motorized chair right inside. ![]() Few homes have basements, so those who can afford do so build or purchase their own shelters. "They expect people to 'shelter in place,' but I don't have anywhere safe to go." But when he hears a tornado siren blaring out its high-pitched warning he feels a spasm of fear and dread. He's been using a wheelchair since then, and hasn't gotten used to having to work out solutions to everyday problems - such as getting in and out of the shower in the small rental house he shares with his son in Norman, Okla. John High has diabetes, which led to his leg being amputated below the knee two years ago. ![]() The house that John High rents with his son in Norman, Okla., doesn't even have a windowless room he could retreat to in a tornado, he says, and he can't afford to build a a wheelchair-accessible storm shelter.
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