FEMA awards San Antonio $1.5 million for terrorism preparedness operations

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) recently awarded the City of San Antonio, Texas $1.5 million in grants to help prevent, protect against, mitigate, and respond to acts of terrorism.

“San Antonio is one of the fastest-growing cities in our State and routinely hosts events that attract hundreds of thousands of visitors like Fiesta and the NCAA Final Four,” U.S. Rep. Will Hurd (R-TX) said. “It’s imperative that our local public safety officers have the level of equipment necessary for them to do their jobs and keep folks safe.”

Hurd invited FEMA officials to attend Fiesta to observe its security operations and worked with officials from FEMA and the city to secure the funding. Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-TX), who serves on the Appropriations Homeland Security Subcommittee, also played a leadership role in securing the funding.

“This award is an important recognition that San Antonio has unique security needs and our law enforcement community is cutting-edge,” San Antonio Mayor Nirenberg said. “We’re particularly happy to have received [Urban Area Security Initiative] USAI grants two years in a row, and I especially want to thank Congressman Cuellar for his invaluable leadership. We also are grateful to Congressman Hurd and the rest of our delegation.”

The grants are part of the Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI), which aims to provide equipment, training, and certification for first responders in areas at high risk for terrorism.