CHICAGO – The U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has released $571,573 in Pre-Disaster Mitigation (PDM) funds to Defiance County, for the construction of a safe room at Camp Lakota Boy Scout Camp in Defiance, Ohio.
“The Pre-Disaster Mitigation program enables communities to implement critical mitigation measures to reduce or eliminate the risk of loss of life and property,” said James K. Joseph, regional administrator, FEMA Region V. “This project will give the community a safe room that can be used to protect staff and visitors to the camp during times of severe weather.”
“Just last year the state of Ohio had six confirmed EF2 tornadoes with wind speeds registered between 111-135 mph,” said Sima Merick, executive director of the Ohio Emergency Management Agency. “The construction of a public tornado safe room will ensure the safety of visitors to the Boy Scout camp, should inclement weather, such as a tornado, occur.”
PDM provides grants to state and local governments to implement long-term hazard mitigation measures. Through PDM, FEMA will pay 75 percent of the $762,097 eligible project cost. The remaining 25 percent of the funds, $190,524 will be provided by the Boy Scouts of America, Black Swamp Area Council.
FEMA’s mission is helping people before, during and after disasters.
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