07.18.07
Homeland Security Announces Funding For Rhode Island
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Rhode Island’s Congressional Delegation today announced the state will
be receiving approximately $19.5 million in Homeland Security funding for Fiscal
Year 2008. Included in this amount is approximately $5.15 million designated
under the Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI) program.
In January, Providence qualified for UASI for
the first time. UASI targets funding in high-threat, high-density urban areas.
Eligibility is based on a number of factors, including critical infrastructure
and actual threats received.
“I am pleased Rhode Island and the city of Providence will receive this
critical homeland security funding,” said Senator Reed, who
worked closely with officials at the Department of Homeland Security to include
Providence on the list of 39 eligible urban areas for homeland security funding
through the UASI program. “This money will help train and equip emergency
management officials and first responders to protect the public and respond to
any threats or disasters our community may face.”
“Initiatives like UASI help
ensure that Rhode Island and other states receive enough homeland security
funding to prepare for emergencies and keep our people safe,” Senator
Whitehouse said. “I’m proud that efforts to expand the funds available
to us, begun last year by Rhode Island’s congressional delegation, have paid
off. I look forward to working with my colleagues to ensure our state has the
resources it needs to secure our state’s population and infrastructure.”
“Homeland security must begin at home,” said Congressman
Kennedy. “I am pleased to support the needs of our first responders by
assisting them with the necessary funds needed for additional personnel,
training and equipment. This is the kind of investment we make in our
communities that enhances our sense of security and quality of life by
supporting those who work everyday to keep us safe.
“It is no secret that first responders in Rhode Island and across
the country are being asked to do more with less, however, with the addition of
UASI funding their jobs may become a little easier,” said Congressman
Langevin, a member of the Homeland Security Committee. “We all know
that Rhode
Island was initially predicted to take a
major homeland security funding cut and my colleagues and I have worked hard to
make sure that didn’t happen. With the announcement of these numbers, our state
appears to have fared better than expected, in large part because of UASI
resources.”
"I want to thank Rhode
Island's congressional delegation for working tirelessly with
members of my administration to designate Providence as a UASI community," said
Mayor David N. Cicilline. "This designation will ensure that
the Providence area UASI communities have the resources they need to protect our
residents. By using federal dollars to make critically important improvements in
homeland security, we are ensuring that Rhode Island will be one of the safest
states in America."
Fiscal Year 2008 Homeland
Security funding for Rhode Island:
- $7.36 million - Public Safety
Interoperable Communications Grant Program
- $5.15 million - UASI
program
- $3.82 million - State Homeland
Security Grant Program
- $2.73 million - Law
Enforcement Terrorism Prevention Program
- $258,145 – Metropolitan
Medical Response System
- $140,368 – Citizen Corps
Grant
The
Providence Urban Area is made up of nine communities within a ten mile radius of
the City of Providence that make up 60 percent of the state’s population. There
are 21 Extremely Hazardous Substances (EHS) facilities located in this
region. The city’s port includes large LNG and LPG distribution tanks, and the
Fox Point Hurricane Barrier protects 280 acres of the downtown area from
flooding that could impact thousands of residents and over $4.7 billion in
assessed property.
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