The Illinois Emergency Management Agency (IEMA) received more than $600,000 to support Hazardous Materials Emergency Preparedness. Some of that money has been awarded to counties in southern Illinois.
Director of Franklin County Emergency Management, Ryan M. Buckingham says, "There are hundreds of vehicles that travel this interstate on a daily basis that have hazardous materials on board so the risk for HAZMAT emergency is pretty big."
Franklin County will receive $55,000 per year for the next three years, all in an effort to keep the community safe.
Buckingham explains, "The grant allows for our agency to employ a part time planning person who specially concentrates on planning for hazards materials emergencies and also dealing with the facilities in the county that store reportable quantities of HAZMAT and making sure that that information is available to the public if they request that."