In early October, Governor Terry McAuliffe announced that more than $4.8 million in federal funds were awarded to multiple local government agencies to enhance emergency preparedness throughout Virginia. The HRPDC and 11 Hampton Roads jurisdictions were among the recipients. Collectively, the Hampton Roads region received $1,361,546. The funds, administered by the Virginia Department of Emergency Management, are from the fiscal year 2014 State Homeland Security Grant program.

“These critical funds, provided by our partners at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, will be used immediately to help emergency planners and first responder agencies throughout Virginia get tools, equipment and other resources they need to keep Virginia communities safe,” said Governor McAuliffe.  

Local government agencies submitted 187 projects totaling more than $23 million to the Office of the Secretary of Public Safety and Homeland Security. Projects were submitted in ten categories:

• Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear and Explosive (CBRNE)

• Communications

• Community Preparedness

• Critical Infrastructure

• Training and exercises in Incident Command System (ICS), National Incident Management System (NIMS)

• Information Sharing (Fusion Centers)

• Law Enforcement

• Mass Care

• Planning

• Public Messaging & Crisis Communication

The submitted proposals were evaluated and scored against five criteria by peer reviewers, representing multiple professional groups, state agencies and local government officials with emergency expertise. Reviewers did not evaluate projects in their own region, and considered the necessity of the project, how the project addresses risk, project management and the sustainment of the investment among the scoring criteria.