Feds offer $165 million in emergency management grants

The Homeland Security Department is providing $165 million in grants to help state and local governments to better respond to hazard preparedness activities and emergency management.

The grants are being offered by the department's Emergency Preparedness and Response Directorate, formerly the Federal Emergency Management Agency, as part of the fiscal 2003 funding, officials said.

The funding is a 40 percent increase from fiscal 2002, said Michael Brown, HSD undersecretary for emergency preparedness and response.

"These grants are further evidence of this administration's commitment to state and local governments" for all hazardous emergency preparedness efforts, he said.

The grants give the states flexibility to allocate funds according to risk vulnerabilities. The funds will enable local emergency managers to plan, train, exercise and provide the facilities needed to coordinate emergency services in response to major incidents.

The funds also will be used for mitigation programs that are designed to reduce the vulnerability of communities to hazards and terrorism.

The program, which was first awarded in fiscal 2002, was intended to consolidate funding streams that FEMA provides to state and local emergency management departments and agencies.