MacArthur pursues reformed emergency preparedness funding

U.S. Rep. Tom MacArthur (R-NJ) on March 29 called for federal funding allotment reforms under the Urban Areas Security Initiative (UASI), raising concerns that directly funding large municipalities may leave surrounding areas ill-prepared for mass evacuations and other emergency responses.

The UASI currently administers federal funds to help high-density urban areas prepare for and protect against terrorist threats. The Philadelphia UASI zone, which encompasses counties in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, received roughly $17.7 million in fiscal year (FY) 2017. “However, despite New Jersey’s high population density, risk of terror threat, designation as an evacuation area, and exposure to hurricanes my state has received none of this funding,” Rep. MacArthur wrote in a March 9 letter to U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen.

The congressman asked DHS Secretary Nielsen to reform the program and directly designate federal monies to the counties in each zone rather than to a solitary city, such as Philadelphia.

Burlington County, N.J., for instance, must support Philadelphia in the event of a mass evacuation. Mount Laurel, located right outside the city in Burlington County, is marked as a major evacuation zone, according to Rep. MacArthur’s letter. All first responders from the Delaware River to the Atlantic Ocean would utilize Burlington County Public Safety telecommunication towers and all buildings within the county could be potential shelters for evacuees.

The problem, according to Rep. MacArthur, is that during current upgrades to its telecommunication broadband system, the county has identified multiple radio dead zones in rural areas that could drop police radio signals during high radio traffic. “It is hard to imagine giving the region such a large responsibility to provide aid and failing to provide the resources necessary to upgrade critical telecommunication systems,” he wrote.

Kate Gibbs, director of the Board of Chosen Freeholders, which is the governing body for Burlington County, said modernization of the county’s telecom system is costing $40 million to ensure first responders have access to a “comprehensive, state-of-the-art radio system.”

“While there is no questioning the merits of this project, our taxpayers deserve fairness and shouldn’t shoulder the entire costs of this unfunded federal mandate,” Gibbs said. “I am thankful Congressman MacArthur will take up this issue in Washington and fight for the resources we need.”