Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle accepted the 2007 Preparedness Report on Homeland Security Tuesday. The report details funding amounts and programming to prepare for both natural and human-caused disasters in the state.
The 2007 report is the first to be authored by Brig. Gen. Donald P. Dunbar, Adjutant General of Wisconsin.
According to the report, Wisconsin's homeland security plan was ranked the fourth most effective plan in the country by a peer review panel.
The efficiency of the state's security plan was put on display after August floods drenched most counties in southern Wisconsin.
"We were put to the test by the tragic floods that hit," Doyle said in a statement Monday. "Fortunately, Wisconsin's response showed that we are ready when emergency strikes."
Doyle added volunteers played an important role in swiftly helping residents living in flooded areas. Over 1,000 of the 4,300 Wisconsin citizens who voluntarily enrolled in emergency response are high school and college age, the report said.
"Volunteer aid organizations and state disaster agencies alike provided assistance to victims and secured critical infrastructure," Doyle said in the release.
According to the report, emergency response personnel can train on a collapsed building or rubble pile. In the past four years, more than 80,000 Wisconsin residents have completed the National Incident Management System course.
"Our first responders performed exceptionally … to aid citizens across the state," Doyle said in the statement.
However, in future years, the state may not be as well prepared for disaster because federal funding for programs in Wisconsin has decreased from $24.4 million to $17.8 million.
Scot Ross, executive director of One Wisconsin Now, said homeland safety is being threatened by the Iraq war.
"We're seeing the cost [of the war] in the state," Ross said. "Funding is being cut to states like Wisconsin [because] of the money we're spending in Iraq."
Ross added first responders have traditionally done an excellent job in Wisconsin, but may not be able to withstand drastic budget cuts.
"There is nearly a 50-percent cut for Milwaukee," Ross said. "The Bush administration has cut funding for the state by 27 percent.
