DHS Announces Additional $260 Million in Supplemental Grants Funding

August 16, 2007 -- The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) released today supplemental Fiscal Year (FY) 2007 grant guidance and application kits for three grant programs: the Port Security Grant Program (PSGP), Transit Security Grant Program (TSGP), and Emergency Management Performance Grant (EMPG) Program. The supplemental announcement of $260 million is in addition to $567 million awarded from the regular FY 2007 appropriations for these programs, totaling roughly $827 million this fiscal year.

The U.S. Troop Readiness, Veterans Care, Katrina Recovery, and Iraq Accountability Appropriations Act of 2007 (P.L. 110-28) provided an additional $110 million for the PSGP, $100 million for the TSGP, and $50 million for the EMPG. As required by Congress, the department anticipates awarding supplemental grants by Sept. 30, 2007.

State emergency management agencies use EMPG funding to enhance their emergency management capabilities, structure programs based on targeted needs and build capabilities for priorities outlined in the interim National Preparedness Goal. Through the FY 2007 EMPG supplemental, $50 million has been allocated to 58 states and territories consistent with previous EMPG fiscal years.

According to a DHS Supplemental Overview document, the principal priority for the FY 2007 EMPG supplemental funds is addressing the findings of FEMA’s pilot gap analysis program with 20 States and territories in hurricane-prone regions. The specific focus of that effort is on debris removal, interim housing, sheltering, evacuation, commodity distribution, medical needs, fuel, and communications. State and local jurisdictions should also continue to focus on addressing state-specific planning issues identified through the 2006 Nationwide Plan Review. In FY 2007, specific planning focus areas of evacuation planning, logistics and resource management, continuity of operations (COOP) / continuity of government (COG) planning, and recovery planning have been identified as national planning focus areas.