Logan County EMA awarded IEMA Performance Grant

[January 22, 2010]  SPRINGFIELD -- Grants totaling more than $4 million awarded by the Illinois Emergency Management Agency will help 118 city and county emergency management agencies throughout Illinois support local disaster preparedness and response efforts.

The Logan County Emergency Management Agency is receiving $22,623.51.

"Every disaster begins as a local emergency, and that's why it's so important to have a sound local emergency management program," said IEMA Director Andrew Velasquez III. "Particularly in difficult fiscal times, these grants provide needed support to ensure local emergency management agencies are prepared to respond to disasters in their communities."

The Emergency Management Performance Grants are funded through a grant IEMA receives from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The grants, which are awarded annually, can be used for day-to-day operations of local emergency management programs. Velasquez said his agency increased the total grant funds available for local emergency management agencies by more than $1 million this year.

Federal EMPG funding totaling more than $6.7 million also enables IEMA to provide dozens of training courses, emergency response exercise support and emergency planning assistance to emergency management agencies statewide.

[Text from Illinois Emergency Management Agency file received from the Illinois Office of Communication and Information]