SCHUMER ANNOUNCES OVER $2 MILLION TO SYRACUSE AREA TO PREVENT AND RESPOND TO TERROR ATTACKS

TodayU.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer announced that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) will allocate a total of $2,243,518 to the Syracuse area under the Urban Areas Security Initiative (UASI), Nonprofit Security Grant Program (NSGP) and the Metropolitan Medical Response System (MMRS) awards.  The UASI Grants are part of the Homeland Security Grant Program (HSGP) designed to enhance the ability of state, territory, local and tribal governments to prepare for, prevent, respond to, and recover from terrorist attacks and other disasters.  The UASI programs provide funding to select highthreat, highdensity urban areas and nonprofit organizations that are at high risk for terrorist attack to help them prevent, protect against, respond to, and recover from acts of terrorism.  The MMRS grants will be used to prepare emergency and medical systems for mass casualty incidents caused by any hazard.

"Upstate New York communities have real security needs and the burden shouldn't be placed on local tax payers to foot the whole bill. This funding will help reduce the burden and allow our local law enforcement to deal with terrorism and at the same time deal with equally important day to day duties," said Senator Schumer.  

The Syracuse metropolitan area contains numerous, vulnerable assets vital to the U.S. economy and military. A regional transportation hub, Syracuse is home to Hancock International Airport, as well as to major rail and highway intersections. These vital assets are far from immune to terrorist threats, qualifying Syracuse as one of the 62 urban areas in the United States that the DHS deems highrisk. This funding is well deserved and will help to address our security needs in the region.

Today, Senator Schumer announced that the Department of Homeland Security will allocate a total of $2,243,518 to the Syracuse area to help prepare for and protect against terrorist attacks.

 

The funding will be administered as follows:

 

·          $1,869,300 through the Urban Areas Security Initiative awards program which focuses on enhancing regional preparedness in major metropolitan areas. The UASI program directly supports the National Priority on expanding regional collaboration in the National Preparedness Guidelines and is intended to assist participating jurisdictions in developing integrated regional systems for prevention, protection, response, and recovery.

 

·          $52,997 through the Urban Areas Security Initiative and Nonprofit Security Grant Program (NSGP) awards program which provides funding support for targethardening activities to nonprofit organizations that are at high risk of terrorist attack and are located within one of the specific UASIeligible Urban Areas.

 

·          $321,221 through the Metropolitan Medical Response System (MMRS) which supports the integration of emergency management, health, and medical systems into a coordinated response to mass casualty incidents caused by any hazard. Successful MMRS grantees reduce the consequences of a mass casualty incident during the initial period of a response by having augmented existing local operational response systems before the incident occurs.

Eligible applicants submitted funding requests through their State Administrative Agency. Applications were reviewed through a twophase process, in which each state vetted their respective applications and submitted them for federal review and approval. The 62 highest risk Urban Areas are eligible for funding under the FY 2009 UASI program.