NYS approves $140 million statewide for counterterrorism and emergency preparedness, including $78K for Orleans

Governor Kathy Hochul announced nearly $140 million in federal funding is available to support counterterrorism and emergency preparedness efforts across the state, with $56,260 headed to Orleans County for counterterrorism and $17,611 for the county’s emergency preparedness efforts.

The funding, provided by the Federal Emergency Management Agency through its FY 2025 Homeland Security Grant Program and its Emergency Management Performance Grant, supports regional homeland security preparedness efforts, including planning, organization, equipment, training and exercise activities which are critical to sustaining and improving community prevention, protection, response, and recovery capabilities, the governor said.

The New York State Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services manages these programs in close coordination with local stakeholders.

“Threat landscapes are constantly evolving, and it is vital that our communities are prepared for anything that may come their way,” Governor Hochul said. “With this funding, we’re making sure our partners at every level of government have the training and resources needed to keep New Yorkers safe. We are grateful to our federal partners for their assistance in securing these grants to help make New York a safer and more secure place for all.”

FEMA’s Homeland Security Grant Program is comprised of three separate risk-based grants aimed at assisting state, local and tribal efforts in preventing, preparing for, protecting against and responding to acts of terrorism. Those programs are the State Homeland Security Program, the Urban Area Security Initiative and Operation Stonegarden.

The breakdown in funding includes:

• State Homeland Security Program – $38.2 million. The State Homeland Security Program provides funding to prevent, protect against, respond to, and recover from acts of terrorism and other catastrophic disasters.
• Urban Area Security Initiative – $92.2 million. This funding is awarded to jurisdictions in the New York City metropolitan area under the Urban Area Security Initiative grant. The region will use this money to sustain and enhance their critical anti-terrorism programs.
• Operation Stonegarden Grant Program – $2.7 million. This grant provides critical funding to enhance cooperation and coordination between federal, state, local and tribal law enforcement agencies through the support of joint operations which are conducted along the northern border.
• Emergency Management Performance Grant (EMPG) – $6.6 million. This federal funding was awarded to county emergency management agencies in New York State to support planning and operational readiness for disaster response.