Hazard preparedness in Maryland will benefit from $23.8 million in federal grants recently announced by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
The funds will be broken up into seven specific targets. The State Homeland Security Program, Urban Area Security Initiative, Emergency Management Performance Grant Program, Nonprofit Security Grant Program, Port Security Grant Program, Transit Security Grant Program, and Intercity Bus Security Grant Program all stand to benefit.
“The safety of all families and everyone in our communities is a basic responsibility of the federal government,” U.S. Sen. Ben Cardin (D-MD) said. “These federal funds will equip Maryland with the tools to address many different types of threats. Each of the grantees must work together effectively to improve protections for all of our communities.”
For the State Homeland program, $8 million will be dispatched statewide to help implement strategies of prevention, protection, mitigation, response, and recovery from terrorism or disasters. Urban security will bring the same to the particular needs of the populous Baltimore area, with another $4 million. On the other hand, the emergency management grant focuses on preparedness at both the state and local emergency management levels and will introduce nearly $6.5 million for the effort.
Due to their nature, the remaining grants are split up still further. The nonprofit-focused grant deals specifically with physical security and activities to benefit organizations at high risks of a terrorist attack. In so doing, nearly $2 million in funding will be split between 21 nonprofits in the Baltimore area, 14 nonprofits in the National Capital Region and other nonprofits throughout the state. The nearly $2 million in Port Security funds will benefit the security activities for Baltimore County, Maryland Natural Resources Police, Maryland State Police, the Maryland Port Administration, and the Queen Anne’s County Sheriff’s Office. Additionally, $266,949 will benefit security efforts for bus, ferries, rail, and other systems in the region, through the Maryland Transit Administration.
The remaining more than $150,000 will promote resiliency and terrorism protection efforts on intercity bus systems owned by DD Enterprises, Inc., Dillons Bus Service, and Adventures by Dawn, LLC.
In all, $23,838,443 in preparedness funding will benefit Maryland in 2019.