SOUTHERN TIER, N.Y. (WETM) — The Southern Tier’s counties are eligible to receive FEMA funding to prepare for potential disasters.

According to Governor Hochul’s Office, FEMA has allocated money for each county in New York to better their abilities to handle emergencies. The counties will receive the funds after developing projects that will increase their emergency response capabilities. A total of $34,623 is available for Chemung County, $11,301 is available for Schuyler County, $37,944 is available for Steuben County, and $22,058 is available for Tioga County.

“New York State works throughout the year with local emergency management partners to ensure we’re ready for any type of emergency,” said New York State Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services Commissioner Jackie Bray “This annual funding is an important piece of these efforts, bolstering response and recovery capabilities at the local level.”

The projects each county plans should focus on areas that FEMA has identified as needing to be approved across the country. This could include evacuation planning, disaster financial management, disaster housing, and resilient communications. In practice, the funding can be used for emergency management agency staffing, planning, equipment, training, communication system maintenance, emergency operation center construction or renovations, and more.

The New York State Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services will administer the funds on behalf of FEMA and work with the emergency management office of every county to help them receive the funding as soon as possible.