Following those destructive storms experienced this past December and January, the Christian County Fiscal Court and its arm of Emergency Management have been in pursuit of new resources for weather preparedness.
During Tuesday’s meeting, magistrates approved for Judge-Executive Steve Tribble to enter into application agreements for three hazard mitigation grants with FEMA totaling $12 million, and possibly up to $20 million should costs balloon.
If approved at both the state and federal levels, county officials would receive appropriations for a number of potentially life-saving materials.
Emergency Management Director Randy Graham said the plan for these grants is to procure 10 outdoor warning sirens and 13 tornado shelters to be spread throughout the county, while providing weather alert radios for every house in Christian.
Graham said these grants are available as part of the 5% cost of the damage throughout the state, which for December alone equated to $70 million.
Magistrate Jerry Gilliam made it clear that these funds aren’t part of the $200 million appropriated by the Kentucky General Assembly. Magistrate Phillip Peterson offered more clarity, noting Christian County was applying for the matching part through Kentucky’s recently established SAFE Fund.
Under the SAFE Fund legislation, a total of $155 million was appropriated by Kentucky’s lawmakers this year. These specific monies have been earmarked for schools, cities, counties and local utilities — and can also be used to buy temporary housing for those victims in need.
