The University of Wisconsin-River Falls will be spending more than $90,000 to create two emergency shelters on campus, thanks in part to a grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

The grant will equip two buildings on campus with emergency aid capabilities to help people in the event of a disaster.

The two laboratory farms were identified by FEMA’s Pre-Disaster Mitigation program as posing the greatest risk for loss of life and property in case of an emergency, due to their isolated locations and lack of protection against high winds and tornadoes, according to Blake Fry, special assistant to the chancellor at UW-River Falls.

There were 16 tornadoes reported in the state of Wisconsin in 2009, according to the National Weather Service. There were no reported injuries or deaths from the tornadoes.

Fry said they are small buildings on the edge of campus.

The purpose of the new shelters is to provide a refuge for students, faculty or anyone else who may be nearby, Fry said.

“There are no restrictions on [who can use the facilities],” Fry said. “Anyone who is in the area at the time of a disaster can use them. In fact, there’s a horse arena around there, so should a disaster occur we may be sharing them with those folks.”

The construction is anticipated to begin next summer.

“We’re in the process of bidding the project out to contractors, so we are unsure when it can actually get underway,” Fry said.

The federal grant is worth $70,190.55 according to Fry, but that is not enough to cover the entire cost of the project. The university will seek to attain the remaining 25 percent of the total cost, or $23,402.90, through the Wisconsin’s Small Project Program.

The buildings will be upgraded with a variety of new safety measures to match FEMA standards, including emergency lighting and chemical toilets, in case individuals are stuck in the buildings for a long period of time, according to Fry.

PDM grants may be awarded to states, territories, Indian tribal governments, communities and universities, according to a statement from FEMA.