NY Communities To Receive $220M For Emergency Preparedness

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — Communities throughout New York state will share more than $220 million in new federal funding for counterterrorism efforts and emergency preparedness.

Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced the funding on Thursday. He says the money is "essential" to local efforts to plan and deal with emergencies, both natural and man-made.

Most of the money will go to New York City, with other sizeable amounts for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and downstate communities including Westchester County, Long Island. The remainder will be split among upstate counties.

The grants come from the Federal Emergency Management Agency and will support local emergency planning and training as well as equipment purchases for first responders.