DHS Announces More Than $2.1 Billion in Preparedness Grants

  • Aug 25, 2011

Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano recently announced final allocations for 12 preparedness grant programs totaling more than $2.1 billion in federal grants to assist states, urban areas, tribal and territorial governments, non-profit agencies, and the private sector in strengthening our nation's ability to prevent, protect, respond to, recover from, and mitigate terrorist attacks, major disasters and other emergencies. In FY2011, DHS grants were reduced by $780 million for the FY 2010 enacted level, nearly a quarter of FY 2010 DHS grant funding.

"In today's tight fiscal environment, we are setting clear priorities and focusing on the areas that face the greatest risk to maximize our limited grant dollars," said Secretary Napolitano. "The FY 2011 homeland security grants are focused on mitigating and responding to the evolving threats we face."

The 9/11 Commission recommended that homeland security funds be allocated "based strictly on an assessment of risks and vulnerabilities" to focus limited funding in the highest risk areas. The grant awards announced today focus on the highest risk cities that continue to face the most significant threats, while continuing to provide dedicated funding to law enforcement throughout the country to prepare for, prevent and respond to pre-operational activity and other crimes that are precursors or indicators of terrorist activity.

The FY 2011 grant guidance incorporated feedback from DHS' state, local, tribal and territorial, and private sector partners and includes specific steps undertaken by DHS to improve the ability of state and local partners to apply for and utilize grant funding. From 2002 through 2011, more than $32.1 billion has been awarded in preparedness grants to help strengthen and protect our nation's homeland.

Preparedness Grant Program Awards for Fiscal Year 2011 include:

Homeland Security Grant Program (HSGP)—more than $1.28 billion total:

•State Homeland Security Program (SHSP)—more than $526 million to support the implementation of state homeland security strategies to build and strengthen preparedness capabilities at all levels. The 9/11 Act requires states to dedicate 25 percent of SHSP appropriated funds to law enforcement terrorism prevention-oriented planning, organization, training, exercise and equipment activities.

•Urban Areas Security Initiative (UASI)—more than $662 million to enhance regional preparedness capabilities in 31 high-threat, high-density urban areas. In order to focus limited resources to mitigate and respond to evolving threats, the 11 highest risk areas (Tier 1) were eligible for more than $540 million, while the remaining 20 urban areas, designated Tier II were eligible for more than $121 million. The 9/11 Act requires states to dedicate 25 percent of UASI appropriated funds to law enforcement terrorism prevention-oriented activities.

•Operation Stonegarden (OPSG)—more than $54 million to enhance cooperation and coordination among local, tribal, territorial, state, and federal law enforcement agencies to secure the United States land and maritime borders.

•Metropolitan Medical Response System (MMRS)—more than $34 million, to enhance and sustain comprehensive regional mass casualty incident response and preparedness capabilities, divided evenly among 124 MMRS jurisdictions.

•Citizen Corps Program (CCP)—more than $9 million to engage citizens in community preparedness, planning, mitigation, response and recovery activities.

Tribal Homeland Security Grant Program (THSGP)-$10 million for eligible tribes to implement preparedness initiatives to help strengthen the nation against risk associated with potential terrorist attacks and other hazards.

Nonprofit Security Grant Program (NSGP)—more than $18 million allocated based on risk, to support target-hardening activities to non-profit organizations that are at a high risk of a terrorist attack and located within one of the FY 2011 UASI-eligible urban areas.

Regional Catastrophic Preparedness Grant Program (RCPSP)—more than $14 million to enhance catastrophic incident preparedness in selected high-risk, high-consequence urban areas and their surrounding regions in order to support coordination of regional all-hazard planning for catastrophic events.

Emergency Operations Center Grant Program (EOC)—more than $14 million to support the construction or renovation of Emergency Operations Centers to improve state, local or tribal emergency management and preparedness capabilities to ensure continuity of operations during disasters.

Driver's License Security Grant Program (DLSGP)—more than $45 million to improve the reliability and accuracy of personal identification documents that states and territories issue, prevent terrorism, and reduce fraud.

Transit Security Grant Program (TSGP)—more than $200 million to owners and operators of transit systems to protect critical surface transportation from acts of terrorism and increase the resilience of transit infrastructure.

Freight Rail Security Grant Program (FRSGP)—more than $7 million to freight railroad carriers, owners and offerors of railroad cars, and owners of rail bridges to protect critical surface transportation infrastructure from acts of terrorism and increase the resilience of the freight rail system.

Intercity Passenger Rail (IPR-Amtrak) Program—more than $22 million to protect critical surface transportation infrastructure and the traveling public from acts of terrorism and to increase the resilience of the Amtrak rail system.

Intercity Bus Security Gant Program (IBSGP)—nearly $5 million to support security measures including plans, facility security upgrades and vehicle and driver protection for fixed-route intercity and charter bus services that serve UASI jurisdictions.

Port Security Grant Program (PSGP)—more than $235 million to help protect critical port infrastructure from terrorism, enhance maritime domain awareness and strengthen risk management capabilities in order to protect against improvised explosive devices and other non-conventional weapons.

Emergency Management Performance Grants (EMPG)—more than $329 million has been awarded to assist state and local governments to enhance and sustain all-hazards emergency management capabilities.

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