Blunt Announces Missouri Awarded
$756,000 for Buffer Zone Protection
JEFFERSON CITY, July 12, 2006 - Gov. Matt Blunt today
announced Missouri will receive $756,000 for the Buffer Zone Protection
program from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
“These grants are an investment in enhancing
Missouri’s preparedness that will make it extremely difficult
for terrorists to conduct surveillance or launch attacks near high-risk
critical infrastructure or key resource sites,” Blunt said.
The federal government used FY05 Buffer Zone funds to
target 52 critical assets in Missouri. Nationally, DHS worked with
states and the private sector to identify sites that represent the
most at risk critical infrastructures based on analysis of consequence,
vulnerability and threat data for 17 critical sectors.
The FY06 Buffer Zone funds focuses on two types of risks
- asset, and geographically based risks. The sites are considered
sensitive. SEMA will work with selected local jurisdictions writing
buffer zone protection plans for the critical sites within their jurisdiction.
Buffer Zone Protection Guidelines are available at
the following link: www.grants.gov. DHS distribute $400 million nationwide
in FY06 for a variety of infrastructure protection programs.