University of Hawaii Awarded $4.8 Million for National Disaster Preparedness Training Center

June 17, 2009 -- WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Appropriations Chairman Daniel K. Inouye and Senate Homeland Security Committee senior member Daniel K. Akaka announced today that the National Disaster Preparedness Training Center at the University of Hawaii has been awarded more than $4.8 million for Fiscal Year 2009 by the Department of Homeland Security.

The center provides high quality disaster training to ensure that island communities throughout the Pacific are ready and able to respond, recover, and reconstruct after catastrophes. U.H. has one of seven federally funded FEMA National Domestic Preparedness sites nationwide.

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"The funding allows the best training possible to be offered at the National Disaster Preparedness Training Center," said Chairman Inouye. "With proper training, Hawaii and our surrounding island communities are further ensured they will be prepared and safeguarded from natural disasters, including terrorism."

"I am pleased that UH is partnering with members of the community to be ready to respond should a natural disaster strike," said Senator Akaka. "As we enter the hurricane season, this funding will help UH reach out to our neighbors across the Pacific with disaster planning and response."

This funding was provided pursuant to Section 507 of the Fiscal Year (FY) 2009 Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act (P.L. 110-329), which was supported by Senators Inouye and Akaka last year.

More information on the National Disaster Preparedness Consortium at: http://www.ndpc.us/

Source: Senator Daniel K. Akaka