Oklahoma City -
Legislation filed today by would require mobile home parks and mobile home landlords to properly tie-down units rented out in mobile home parks of 10 or more residents.
House Bill 2572 stems from testimony from the mother of the victim of a Chickasha tornado victim and from representatives of the manufactured housing industry.
A legislative study indicated one reason mobile homes are sometimes at greater risk in severe weather is that they are not always properly installed, state Rep. Pat Ownbey (R-Ardmore), said.
"There are many older mobile homes throughout the state that were never installed properly because either the buyers wanted to install it themselves or because the units have been resold and moved to a new location by individuals who do not know how to install them properly," Ownbey said.
"This fall, lawmakers heard from the mother of a victim of the Chickasha tornado. She said that her home was secured properly, but her neighbor's home was not. The Chickasha tornado pulled her neighbor's home up and dropped it on her home, killing her daughter. I think that if we can find away to ensure that more homes are properly secured, we will see fewer deaths."
Ownbey said his legislation would make whoever owns a rented mobile home responsible for ensuring that it is properly installed, whether that is a mobile home park renting out units or landlords who own various units that happen to be located in a mobile home park.
"I've worked on legislation in an effort to improve how we prepare and respond to severe weather," Ownbey said. "I believe this legislation can save lives."
