York, Chester
and Lancaster counties will each get a portion of about $43 million
in federal homeland security money for South Carolina, Gov. Mark
Sanford's office announced Thursday.
About $30 million is earmarked for first-response agencies -- the
"front-line troops" in protecting the state against terrorist
attacks, Sanford said in a written statement. First responders
include law enforcement, fire and emergency agencies.
The remainder will be used for protecting critical infrastructure
-- such as ports, military installations and nuclear power plants --
and for training and strategic security planning.
The money comes from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security,
formed after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
"We've got a responsibility as a state to make sure our homeland
security dollars are making it down to the local level where they're
needed most," Sanford said in the statement.
About 80 percent of the federal money will go to local
governments, according to Lt. Richard Hunton of the State Law
Enforcement Division -- the state's lead counter-terrorism agency.
"It's a giant leap we've made today, in terms of receiving federal
funds," Hun-ton said.
Local and state government officials are coordinating their
homeland security efforts through the state Counter-Terrorism
Coordinating Council, headed by SLED Chief Robert Stewart -- the
governor's representative to the Department of Homeland
Security.
York County is one of 10 S.C. counties that will receive about
$173,000 for specialized "COBRA" teams trained to handle chemical,
ordnance (explosives), biological and radiological attacks. York
County created its COBRA team in 2000, county officials say.
Another $5 million will be divided among the state's 46 counties
for protective equipment, training and communications system
improvements. Each county gets $50,000, plus a supplement based on
population.
Local distribution
Local counties will receive the following amounts:
• York County, $160,800;
• Chester County, $73,000;
• Lancaster County, $91,300.
The federal dollars also will be used for mass decontamination
equipment -- used in the event of a chemical, biological or
radiological attack; and equipment for urban search and rescue
missions, such as rescuing people from collapsed buildings.
Each county must set up a committee of top public safety
officials to develop a spending plan for the federal dollars, said
Cotton Howell, director of York County's Office of Emer-gency
Management. The plans must then be reviewed and approved by regional
and state counter-terrorism groups.
This is the first homeland security money York County has
received, Howell said.
Contact Caroline Brustad at 329-4082 or mailto:cbrustad@heraldonline.com
