Report Finds Lax Enforcement of State Law on Storm Shelters

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) _ A report says a Minnesota law that requires mobile home
parks to offer storm shelters or evacuation plans for residents in case severe
weather strikes is rarely enforced.

Minnesota requires mobile home parks built after 1988 to have adequate storm
shelters. And older parks must have evacuation plans, approved by their local
governments, for residents to seek shelter off-site from severe weather.

People living in many Minnesota mobile home parks often have nowhere to hide.

The station reviewed thousands of pages of inspection reports. It found at
least 60 violations relating to storm shelters and evacuation plans.

Steven Diaz, who is in charge of the more than 60 mobile home park inspectors
in Minnesota, says penalizing park owners could force families from their homes.