RICHMOND—Governor Ralph Northam today announced that Virginia has secured more than $24.1 million in Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) grants to help the Commonwealth better prepare for, respond to, and recover from natural and manmade disasters.
“We have made it a priority to pursue federal funding to help ensure the Commonwealth and our communities have every possible resource in protecting Virginians against various natural and manmade events,”
Governor Northam. “With these grants, we will continue to support our state and local partners in addressing critical security needs and strengthening resilience, preparedness, and prevention activities across Virginia.”
The grants, administered on behalf of FEMA by the Virginia Department of Emergency Management (VDEM), include the Fiscal Year 2019 Homeland Security Grant Program, the Emergency Management Performance Grant, the Urban Area Security Initiative, the Non-Profit Security Grant Program, and the Port Security Grant Program. Individual local allocations will be announced in early September.
“By advocating for additional funding on behalf of our local communities, we have enhanced the capabilities of our emergency responders, local governments, and citizens during a disaster,”
said Secretary of Public Safety and Homeland Security Brian J. Moran. “These grants help Virginia to better prepare for tornadoes, hurricanes, and flooding, as well as the continued rise in manmade threats from terrorism, violence, and criminal activity.”
“Whether it is closing out disaster reimbursements from past disasters, identifying new grant programs for which our communities are eligible, or aggressively fighting for the most possible funding under competitive national grant programs, VDEM has sought every penny available to fund Virginia’s emergency preparedness and management programs,”
said VDEM State Coordinator of Emergency Management Jeff Stern. “These funds will support local and state government preparedness to address our more complex and more frequent emergencies, and will ultimately help make Virginians safer.”
Summary of Grants Awarded to Virginia
| Program Name |
Amount |
| State Homeland Security |
$ 9,200,000 |
| Hampton Roads Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI) |
$3,250,000 |
| Emergency Management Performance Grant |
$8,033,215 |
| Hampton Roads UASI Non-Profit Security Grant |
$347,500 |
| State Non-Profit Security Grant |
$200,000 |
| Port Security Grant Program |
$3,093,110 |
| TOTAL |
$24,123,825 |
The Port Security Grant Program funds (excerpted from the chart above) are awarded as follows:
| Port Security Grant Program Details |
Amount |
| Abingdon Volunteer Fire & Rescue (Gloucester) |
$26,175 |
| City of Chesapeake Fire Department |
$147,000 |
| City of Hampton |
$1,200,000 |
| City of Newport News |
$498,130 |
| City of Portsmouth Police Department |
$158,625 |
| City of Suffolk Fire Department |
$335,223 |
| City of Suffolk Police Department |
$79,032 |
| City of Virginia Beach |
$77,750 |
| City of Virginia Beach Fire Department |
$47,175 |
| Poquoson Fire Department |
$24,000 |
| Virginia Port Authority |
$500,000 |
| TOTAL |
$3,093,110 |
For additional information on preparedness grant funding opportunities, please contact Lisa Mallory, VDEM Grants Manager for Preparedness Programs, at (804) 897-9717.
VDEM works with local government, state, and federal agencies and voluntary organizations to provide resources and expertise through the five mission areas of emergency management: prevention, protection, mitigation, response, and recovery. To learn more about ways VDEM is working to improve disaster preparedness, response and recovery, visit www.vaemergency.gov.
