Cape Girardeau County applies for Homeland Security grant

Cape Girardeau County Commission voted Monday to apply for a $10,800 U.S. Department of Homeland Security grant under the agency's "Soft Targets for Crowded Places" program.

ST-CP is one of eight federal initiatives designed to "provide critical funding to help state and local officials prepare for, prevent, protect against and respond to acts of terrorism and other hazards," according to a May 13 news release from Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro N. Mayorkas.

County Office of Emergency Management director Mark Winkler said ST-CP grants, if awarded, are completely paid for by the federal government, with no local match needed.

Winkler told the commission part of the money will be used to tag, using a computer system, all Emergency Management assets using grant-purchased portable devices and subsequently track them in emergency situations.

ID badges and other credentials will be made so volunteers and Emergency Management staff may also be tracked.

Responding to privacy concerns, Winkler said individual badges will not be kept and will be destroyed after being used at a potential future emergency event.

Presiding Commissioner Clint Tracy, in his remarks about the grant opportunity, made reference to the May 22, 2011, EF5 tornado that devastated Joplin, Missouri.

"You had a wide area decimated (in Joplin) and you had all kinds of people showing up to help. Using this (ST-CP) system, you would take all the volunteers and give them a badge and we'll be able to know who is present so we can keep track of those folks," Tracy said.

Winkler added having detailed "asset management" at disasters will also help when the event is over to obtain Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) reimbursement.

"You'd be able to report we have 'x' number of volunteers who contributed 'x' number of hours and a calculation of a dollar amount would be made to be used in the reimbursement process," Tracy added.

Winkler said he is hopeful to hear by August whether DHS will fund the county's ST-CP grant request.