Louisiana’s Homeland Security Grant Application Scores in the top 98% of all Submitted Applications

BATON ROUGE, LA – Today, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officially notified the Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness (GOHSEP) that the State’s FY-08 Homeland Security Application has been approved and Louisiana has been awarded $16,110,000 for the State Homeland Security Grant Program.  

DHS convened a peer review panel consisting of Federal, State and local first responders in April 2008 to determine the effectiveness of each State’s and territories’ application. Louisiana’s overall application was scored very high, scoring in the top 98% of all 56 State and territory applications.  The panel commented that the application was “very strong and well constructed.” Four of the State’s seven investment justifications scored in the top 90% of all investments submitted.  They include Interoperable Communications (top 99%), Implement Risk Management Framework to Secure the State’s critical infrastructure/key resources (CI/KR) (top 98%), Gulf State Common Operating Picture (top 95%) and Citizen Preparedness and Planning (top 93%).

For the FY-08 application, Louisiana also partnered with the States of Alabama and Mississippi to create a Common Gulf Coast Operating Picture utilizing the Google Earth Enterprise solution.  As a result of this collaboration, all three States received a bonus resulting in a 5% increase in overall funding for the three States.  The peer review panel commented that the investment justification is “a good regional interoperable vision” and Louisiana’s “large scope and scale of the project translated into their bonus score as well as the clear relationship between the risk to the State and the ability of the project objectives to mitigate that risk.”  With approval of this investment, State and local agencies will be able to expand the capabilities of Virtual Louisiana by procuring additional imagery, 3D models of critical infrastructure and Geographical Information Systems data.  With the multi-state investment and the use of a common platform in all three states, Louisiana will be able to share this data and imagery with MS and AL.  

Local and State agencies who receive funding for the FY-08 State Homeland Security Grant Program will be able to utilize this funding in the following areas:  

Interoperable Communications
This investment will support the following three key activities: 1) increase coverage and capacity of the Statewide P25 System; 2) procure subscriber units and IP based dispatch consoles; and 3) expand or implement a Wi-Fi environment for first responders.

Implement Risk Management to Secure the State’s CI/KR
This investment will support the following four key activities: 1) enhanced planning of the State’s CI/KR plans; 2) establishing the interdependencies and relationships of the State’s CI/KR; 3) continued hardening of the State’s CI/KR and 4) sustainment of the State’s Cyber Security Infrastructure Protection.

Metropolitan Medical Response
This investment will support the following four key activities: 1) expand public & private partnerships increasing priority capabilities for healthcare response; 2) enhance collaborative and comprehensive healthcare mutual aid capabilities; 3) strengthen planning and mitigation capacities specifically for mass prophylaxis and surge; and 4) ensure integration of community partners in information sharing activities.

Citizen Preparedness and Planning
This investment will support the following four key activities: 1) implementation of an outreach campaign for our citizens with emphasis on evacuation and the “Get a Game Plan” Campaign; 2) outreach to schools and private industry on Improvised Explosive Devices awareness; 3) sustainment of the State’s Citizen Corp Program and 4) enhance scenario based planning efforts utilizing the 15 planning scenarios established by DHS.

Regionalization
This investment will support the following four key activities: 1) enhance bomb and mitigation teams that can support and be available to deploy in multiple regions; 2) enhancement of the State’s Sheriff’s and Police Chief’s Regional Task Forces; 3) refinement and increased planning efforts to include CI/KR protection at the Regional level, enhancement of regional and parish emergency operation plans and resource management; and 4) establishment of Collapsible US&R and teams and US&R Type III Task Forces.

GOHSEP now has 45 days to award 80% of the total allocation ($12,888,000) to local agencies.  The remaining funding will be retained for State use ($3,222,000).  In addition to the State Homeland Security Grant Program, GOHSEP will also be awarding $1,284,884 for the Metropolitan Medical Response System (MMRS) grant with each of the following four cities receiving $321,221 to enhance medical response capabilities: Baton Rouge, Metairie, New Orleans and Shreveport.  The State is also being awarded $232,993 to sustain its Citizen Corp Program.