Southern W.Va. to receive $600,000 for homeland security

By Jackie Ayres
Register-Herald Reporter

November 18, 2008 08:43 pm

— The Raleigh County Commission approved project concepts for two Mass Migration grants on Tuesday.
The two Homeland Security grants, totaling $600,000, will benefit Nicholas, Fayette, Raleigh, Greenbrier, Summers, Monroe, Mercer, Wyoming and McDowell counties.
A regional prioritization committee was created for each of the six regions in West Virginia. Each region was required to complete a project concept for the proposed use of the awarded funding.
“The goal is that we (service facilitators) work cooperatively with organizations like emergency services, Beckley fire, Red Cross, county health department ... in an event of catastrophic nature,” said Region 5 coordinator, Jack McVey.
The first grant, totaling $389,000 will be allocated to purchase emergency generators for the Beckley-Raleigh County Convention Center, Woodrow Wilson High School, the Raleigh County Commission on Aging and the Raleigh County Dream Center.
“These are going to be major shelters for people to temporarily receive overnight care and food and water,” said McVey, of the generators which will used in the occurrence of a catastrophic event.
It will also finance the purchase of interoperable radios, computers, electronic signage and chargers for Greenbrier County Emergency Services, and video conference equipment and 250 cots for the Central West Virginia Red Cross in Bluefield.
The second grant totaling $211,000 will be used to purchase 21 interoperable radios for Beckley; a generator, natural gas with propane back up and interoperable radios for Richwood in Nicholas County; and a generator, diesel and interoperable radios for Oceana in Wyoming County.
McVey will now take the commission’s approval to Charleston and the $600,000 will be given to the Raleigh County Commission, who will hold the money in trust until the projects are bid out.

RALEIGH COUNTY — $338,575

MERCER COUNTY — $17,425

GREENBRIER COUNTY — $33,000

FIRST GRANT TOTALING: — $389,000

CITY OF BECKLEY — RALEIGH — $66,695

TOWN OF OCEANA — WYOMING — $69,651

CITY OF RICHWOOD — NICHOLAS — $74,654

SECOND GRANT TOTALING: $211,000

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