NCCU Receives Over $300,000 for Disaster Preparation Courses

The North Carolina Central University (NCCU) Institute for Homeland Security and Workforce Development has received $310,000 from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for the ongoing corrections and intelligence personnel training.

With more than $2.1 million in federal funding received since 2009 for the initiative, NCCU provides courses for residents of rural areas and small communities to enhance safety, security, and quality of life.

Courses taught include “Mobilizing Faith-based Organizations in Preparing for Disaster,” “Planning and Intervention for Gangs, Hate and Terrorist Groups in Rural Jails and Prisons” and “Community Threat Group Identification, Assessment and Reporting for Rural Law Enforcement Officers.” FEMA’s National Training and Education Division (NTED) manages the training, with free access for responders who need to learn critical skills for mass-consequence events.

“Recent catastrophic weather events and deadly shootings have proven the necessity of collaboration between faith communities, non-government organizations and emergency management agencies in disaster preparation,” said M. Chris Herring, D. Min., executive director of the NCCU Institute for Homeland Security and Workforce Development.

“The funding will allow NCCU to significantly increase resiliency in many communities and play a major role in reducing criminal threats to the homeland,” Herring said.

Through collaborations with the U.S. DHS and the Rural Domestic Preparedness Consortium, NCCU has facilitated 106 workshops throughout the United States involving more than 3,000 attendees from 85 diverse communities.

For additional information, contact Dr. M. Chris Herring at 919-530-5206 or mherring@nccu.edu, or Ms. Diane Sampson at 919-530-6294 or sampsond@nccu.edu.