Delaware’s Congressional Delegation Announces $7 million in Federal Grants to Help Strengthen Delaware Preparedness

WASHINGTON – Today, Sens. Tom Carper, Chris Coons and Rep. John Carney (all D-Del.) announced more than $7 million in homeland security grants to strengthen Delaware’s ability to prevent, respond to and recover from natural and man-made emergencies and other disasters. The FY 2012 awards to the state are part of more than $1.3 billion in preparedness grant awards from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

Specifically, Delaware received:

State Homeland Security Program: $2.8 million to support the implementation of state homeland security strategies to build and strengthen preparedness capabilities at all levels.

Emergency Management Performance Grants: $3.13 million to assist state and local governments in enhancing and sustaining all-hazards emergency management capabilities.

Port Security Grant Program: $1.14 million to help protect critical port infrastructure from terrorism.

“While we have made important strides in improving our homeland security and emergency response efforts, local, state and federal officials must continue to work together and remain vigilant to keep Delawareans safe,” said Senator Carper. “These federal grants will support Delaware’s ongoing efforts to employ the best strategies and tools possible to protect lives and property in the event of an emergency, and to keep disasters from happening in the first place. I appreciate the Administration’s forward-thinking approach to nationwide preparedness and I look forward to working with the Department of Homeland Security and state officials to ensure that these important measures are properly implemented.”

“The reality of living in a post-9/11 world is that we must remain vigilant when it comes to strengthening our emergency preparedness,” said Senator Chris Coons. “Natural disasters and man-made emergencies require our first responders to have the equipment, tools and training to be able to respond at a moment’s notice. Strides have been made over the last decade in emergency response efforts, and this Department of Homeland Security funding will help us protect our communities here in Delaware and across the nation.”

“There is nothing more important than ensuring that Delawareans remain safe and secure in the event of an emergency,” said Congressman Carney. “This funding will allow Delaware law enforcement and the Department of Safety and Homeland Security to put in place best practices for handling disaster situations, as well as take every possible precaution to prevent emergencies from happening. This preparation helps save lives and protects what is most important to us.”

The grants awarded are in support of the National Preparedness Goal (NPG), which was established by President Obama in 2011. The NPG sets the vision for nationwide preparedness and identifies the core capabilities and targets necessary to achieve preparedness across five mission areas laid out under Presidential Policy Directive 8: prevention, protection, mitigation, response and recovery.

Additional information on DHS preparedness grant programs is available at www.dhs.gov and www.fema.gov/grants.