Pearl, Miss. – The Mississippi Emergency Management Agency is launching a Residential Safe Room Grant Lottery Program to help Mississippi homeowners install a FEMA-compliant safe room/ storm shelter on their property to protect themselves from severe weather. The program is being funded through FEMA’s Hazard Mitigation Grant Program and offers reimbursement grants of up to $3,500 to help install a FEMA-compliant safe room or storm shelter.
Funding is limited. There are 38 available grants per county. This program is not first-come, first-serve. All eligible applicants will have an equal chance of being selected through a statewide lottery once the application period ends. The application to enter the lottery is open from October 31st, 2025, to November 30th, 2025. If any grants remain unclaimed in an individual county, they will be entered into a second drawing among statewide applicants.
“MEMA is excited to open the Residential Safe Room Grant Program to all Mississippians. We all know about the impact severe weather and tornadoes have on our state, and we are continuously working to safeguard Mississippi and its citizens,” says MEMA Executive Director Stephen McCraney. “This program will help MEMA meet our number one goal, which is saving lives during a disaster.”
Mississippi homeowners in any of the 82 counties are eligible to apply. The home must be a primary residence only (single-family homes). If homeowners live in a mobile/manufactured home, they must also own the land on which their home is located. Renters, duplexes, apartments, and community safe rooms are not eligible.
Mississippi citizens can apply for the Residential Safe Room Grant Program by going to my.msema.org and clicking Safe Room Application at the top of the page.
For more information on the Statewide Residential Safe Room Grant Program and a step-by-step guide on how to apply, visit Statewide Residential Safe Room Grant Program | Mississippi Emergency Management Agency. Residents may contact our call center at 1-833-592-6362 (MEMA) with any questions related to residential safe room grants. The call center will be open Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.. For this weekend only, the call center will also be open Saturday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and on Sunday, noon to 5 p.m..