What Registering Your Storm Shelter Means: Liability, Rescue Expectations, and Public Records (Chester County)

When you register a basement, underground storm shelter, or hardened above-ground shelter, you're acknowledging a few key things up front. The form says rescue personnel may check registered shelter areas for entrapment by debris after a tornado or wind event. It also says a rescue attempt at your location may not happen right away. Timing depends on the size of the emergency. Finally, the form states that any record created through your registration is subject to the Tennessee Public Information Act. That means the information you submit becomes a public record, not a private note kept only for emergencies.

Chester County and the City of Henderson offer a free, voluntary Storm Shelter Registration program for residents who own personal severe-weather shelters. The part that deserves the closest read is the liability release. By signing the form, you're releasing the City of Henderson and Chester County from any liability for events that occur due to delayed rescue. This matches the form's warning that a rescue attempt may not be immediate when a large emergency is underway.

The registration form tells you that any record created is subject to the Tennessee Public Information Act. In practical terms, your submitted registration is treated like other public records held by government entities. It may be obtainable through a public records request. If privacy is a concern, think through what you're comfortable putting on a form that isn't guaranteed to stay private.

The form frames the registry around post-storm response. It asks you to acknowledge that, after a tornado or wind event, rescue personnel may check registered shelter areas for entrapment by debris.

Questions

• ✓ What information on my registration could be released under the Tennessee Public Information Act, and what parts (if any) might be withheld?
• ✓ If someone requests the record, how would I find out, if I would find out at all?
• ✓ Exactly what does the liability release cover, and what does it not cover?
• ✓ How does the county define “delayed rescue” in this context, and is there anything I should do differently because rescue may be delayed?
• ✓ If I update my shelter details later, does that create a new public record?
• ✓ Who maintains the records, and how do they prefer corrections if my contact info or shelter location details change?

1. Complete the Storm Shelter Registration form - Fill in your contact and location information and sign where indicated.
2. Submit by fax - Fax the completed form to 731-989-4575.
3. Or submit by email - Email the completed form to jrfarris667@msn.com.
4. Keep a copy for your records - Save a scan or photo of what you sent, so you can reference it later if you need to update anything.