State emergency management coordinators in South Carolina will receive a $2.4-million grant from the Department of Energy to enhance emergency preparedness at DOE’s Savannah River Site, the federal agency announced Friday.
The five-year grant to the South Carolina Emergency Management Division runs from July 5, 2024, through June 30, 2029, according to a DOE press release. The grant provides funds for Aiken, Allendale, and Barnwell counties, which surround the 310-square mile federal complex, to help maintain off-site emergency preparedness plans, training and operations support, DOE said.
The financial assistance grant was announced by DOE’s Cincinnati-based Environmental Management Consolidated Business Center.
The financial assistance should help assure the health and safety of Savannah River Site’s neighbors are protected in the event of any incident at the nuclear site, DOE said.
The South Carolina Emergency Management Division, a branch of the state Adjutant General’s Office, is the coordinating agency responsible for the statewide emergency, according to its website.
