St. Lawrence County will get $46,210 in federal funding to support disaster planning and operational readiness, according to the governor’s office

Through the federal Emergency Management Performance Grant, an annual grant program, awardees are able to access funding to support efforts ranging from the development and implementation of trainings and exercises to acquiring emergency response resources. This funding is in addition to a $4.3 million supplemental grant already awarded to the state for similar efforts focused on the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s office.

In order to access the funding, local awardees must develop projects or initiatives which strengthen their own readiness and response capabilities to address all hazards. Projects should also focus on addressing any efforts identified by FEMA as needing national improvement. This includes logistics and distribution management planning, evacuation planning, disaster financial management, catastrophic disaster housing and resilient communications, the governor’s office said.

Working within this framework, funding can be used to support: management and administration activities; planning; staffing for emergency management agencies; equipment; training and exercises; construction and renovation of emergency operations centers; and maintenance and sustainment of GIS and interoperable communications systems.

The program will not pay for firearms, ammunition, grenade launchers, bayonets, or weaponized aircraft, vessels, or vehicles of any kind with weapons installed. It also will not cover costs to support the hiring of sworn public safety officers for the purposes of fulfilling traditional public safety duties or to supplant traditional public safety positions and responsibilities, nor will it cover activities and projects unrelated to the completion and implementation of the EMPG Program.

"Whether its fighting against an invisible enemy like COVID-19, or helping communities withstand the dangers of extreme weather, local governments play a critical role in emergency management and we need to make every effort to support our local partners and help ensure they have the resources they need to keep New Yorkers safe," Cuomo said in a prepare statement. "With this funding in hand, our local partners will now be better positioned to protect the communities they serve no matter what this new reality throws at us."