RALEIGH — Attorney General Jeff Jackson won a case against the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, securing $17 million in funds for North Carolina’s emergency management, disaster relief and homeland security operations.
The court ruled that the federal government’s conditions on the grants were not consistent with Congressional intent, Jackson said. In November, Jackson sued FEMA and the Department of Homeland Security for unlawfully imposing terms that held back one grant and shortened the time period for another, undermining North Carolina’s designated funding for emergency services.
The grants in question include the Emergency Management Performance Grant and the Homeland Security Grant Program, which are critical for funding response efforts to hurricanes, natural disasters and terrorism prevention.
During Hurricane Helene, these funds facilitated the activation and deployment of trained emergency personnel to coordinate lifesaving rescue operations and manage shelters amid power and communication outages.
The grants also support local law enforcement by providing training, conducting drills, improving school safety and equipping search and rescue teams with necessary gear.
Together, these grants help pay the salaries of nearly 100 state emergency management workers, as well as additional personnel in around 100 local jurisdictions and the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians.
Jackson emphasized the importance of these funds, stating, “Our state is going to get back the $17 million that Congress promised so that our emergency responders and law enforcement officers are ready to respond to the next crisis.”
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