Last month, FEMA announced $10 million in competitive awards for its Fiscal Year 2020 (FY2020) Regional Catastrophic Grant Program (RCPGP). The program, according to the federal agency, “plays an important role in the implementation of the National Preparedness System.” Specifically, it supports the building of five core capabilities, Prevention, Protection, Mitigation, Response, and Recovery, by emphasizing the need for a “combined effort” of the whole community rather than the “exclusive effort of any single organization or level of government.”
In other words, the program encourages regional solutions to issues related to catastrophic incidents, and seeks to expand those efforts for a more secure and resilient nation. The 2020 grants, according to FEMA, focus on “planning, organization, training and exercises to build regional capabilities in FEMA’s Health and Medical and Food, Water and Sheltering Community Lifelines.” This, of course, includes pandemic preparedness.
Receiving the FY2020 RCPGP awards were the following 12 state and local governments (selected from 24 eligible applications):
- City of New York (NY) – $929,414
- City of Philadelphia (PA) – $929,414
- City of San Francisco (CA) – $929,414
- State of New York – $929,414
- East-West Gateway Council of Governments, St. Louis (MO) – $929,414
- State of Oklahoma –