Landrieu Announces $20.4M for WMD Preparedness Training at LSU

Press Release

U.S. Senator Mary L. Landrieu, D-La., chair of the Homeland Security Appropriations Subcommittee, today announced $20.4 million for LSU's National Center for Biomedical Research and Counterterrorism (NCBRT). The funding will go toward training first responders for weapons of mass destruction (WMD) attacks and is awarded through the National Domestic Preparedness Consortium (NDPC). In December, Sen. Landrieu helped secure $155.5 million for the NDPC in federal funding legislation.

"I am proud that Louisiana is helping lead the way in preparing our country against terrorist attacks," Sen. Landrieu said. "We have seen firsthand how important comprehensive disaster preparedness is in securing our communities and saving lives. No matter the threat, we can never be too prepared in terms of preventing and detecting disasters."

The NDPC has trained nearly 1.7 million first responders in every state and U.S. territory. Responders have benefited from the professional training in chemical, biological, nuclear, and explosive WMDs; infrastructure protection; transit; and natural hazards.

The NCBRT has developed many courses and delivered them to more than 256,250 responders for the U.S. Departments of Homeland Security, Justice, Health and Human Services, and Agriculture, as well as for State and local jurisdictions, non-governmental organizations and the private sector.

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