FEMA OKs $100,000 Grant for Disaster Preparedness

The Federal Emergency Management Agency has approved a $100,000 grant for the Las Virgenes/Malibu/Conejo Council of Governments to help the communities prepare for such disasters as flooding, mudslides, wildfires and earthquakes, Rep. Brad Sherman announced Thursday.

“There have been 15 declared disasters in this region in the past 20 years,” said Sherman (D-Sherman Oaks). “These funds will help the communities in the region plan for and minimize the effects of future disasters.”

The funding is part of FEMA’s Project Impact, a program designed to help disaster-prone areas protect themselves from the effects of natural disasters.

For every dollar spent in damage prevention, an estimated $2 are saved in repairs, according to the FEMA Web site, https://www.fema.gov. Nearly 200 Project Impact communities have been selected to participate in the preparedness program.

Each year, FEMA selects the regions it deems in need of funding from a large pool of applicants. These communities generally receive $300,000 in seed money for disaster preparedness projects, officials said. The Council of Governments applied last fall for funding from Project Impact, citing the natural disasters that have beleaguered the region in recent years.

Current Council of Governments disaster mitigation programs include Disaster Response Teams, which train residents in emergency preparedness, and Community Arson Watch, in which volunteers patrol mountain areas for signs of wildfires.

In the past, money provided by FEMA has been used to clean storm drains and stabilize hillsides in flood-prone areas.