Though certain state and federal funding streams that supported Gloucester’s CERT (Citizens’ Emergency Response Team) are being redirected, the county’s emergency services staff is taking all steps necessary to ensure the dedicated volunteers are able to continue to support the county in times of need.

According to Gloucester’s emergency management coordinator Creig Moore, the money that typically funds programs such as CERT and Neighborhood Watch have gone away at the federal level and have been put into one pot of money at the Department of Homeland Security at the state level. “So it’s a ‘competing with everybody’ procedure,” Moore said.

He said about $7 million has been allocated to Virginia; $3 million of which the state is going to retain. This leaves $4 million to be shared among a number of different groups including regional planning district commissions and large programs such as the Medical Research Core.

Locally, Moor...