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Governor Gregoire Announces New State Emergency Management Grants

For Immediate Release: June 29, 2006

OLYMPIA - Governor Chris Gregoire today announced the award of Washington�s first Emergency Management Preparedness Assistance Grants. The grants, which total $1.6 million, are awarded to 30 individual organizations, agencies and tribes.

�These grants represent state investments in community-based programs that protect our citizens and prepare for emergencies by educating our first responders and all Washingtonians,� said Governor Gregoire.

�We hope citizens and legislators will see the value and importance of these targeted public safety investments when future budget appropriations are considered,� said Maj. Gen. Timothy J. Lowenberg, director of the Washington Military Department. �We will provide a summary of the program in an interim report that will be filed early in the 2007 legislative session.�

The Fiscal Year 2007 state budget authorized the competitive grant program for high impact, short term projects. Eligible projects included the training of public officials: development of comprehensive emergency management plans: administration of joint exercises; and projects that strengthen emergency response, mitigation, preparedness and coordination.

Grants were available to local governments, tribal governments, regional agencies, regional incident management teams and private organizations. Eighty-nine grant applicants made requests totaling $8.4 million. Representatives of state agencies, academic institutions and emergency management agencies helped the state Emergency Management Division to review and rank the applications.

These funds are available for one year and applicants will have approximately ten months to complete projects.

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