Nevada granted millions more for homeland security

Jace Radke

Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2003 | 9:48 a.m.

Nevada's newest federal funding allocation for homeland security is more than 40 percent more than the last allotment.

More than $26.5 million has been allocated to Nevada by the Office of Domestic Preparedness, up from the $17.9 million released to the state in fiscal year 2003.

"It sounds like maybe we are making some headway with the people in Washington, and they are starting to hear what we have to say," said Jerry Bussell, chairman of the state homeland security commission.

Bussell, Sheriff Bill Young and other local officials have complained that Nevada has been shortchanged on homeland security funding and that legislators have not taken Las Vegas' tourist population into account.

Bussell estimates that Las Vegas sees an additional 250,000 tourists on any given day, and that Clark County has the most likely terrorist targets in the state in Hoover Dam and the Strip.

Las Vegas was left off a list of 30 cities to share in $500 million in anti-terrorism money last year, resulting in Nevada's congressional delegation pushing to have tourism taken into account in future fund disbursements.

The new grant brings the total homeland security funding allocated to Nevada by the Office of Domestic Preparedness and the Federal Emergency Management Agency since Sept. 11, 2001, to more than $56.5 million.

The new monies will be made available to first responders and agencies through the State Office of Emergency Management, and the State Homeland Security Commission will have input in the disbursement of the funds.

The funds will go toward training and equipment. Portions of previous allocations were spent on personal protection suits, respirators, decontamination equipment mobile command posts and training exercises.