The Duke Energy Foundation announced on March 11 that it will invest $500,000 in South Carolina communities through its Helping Emergency Response Organizations (HERO) grant program to support weather-related emergency preparedness and response.
The funding aims to help local government agencies and nonprofits improve their ability to respond to severe weather events. As extreme weather becomes more frequent and intense, first responders are seeking ways to increase their resilience and prepare for future emergencies. The HERO grants are designed to fill critical gaps when storms create overlapping emergencies.
Beginning March 19, eligible South Carolina government agencies and qualified nonprofits can apply for grants of up to $20,000. The funds may be used for training, equipment, materials, storm preparedness kits or shelters, specialized training for first responders, and equipment needed for severe weather rescues. Applications close April 25.
Tim Pearson, Duke Energy’s South Carolina president, said: “When severe weather impacts communities across our state, we work alongside first responders and understand the challenges they face to restore life back to normal. This year’s HERO grants continue to help fill gaps in storm response identified by severe weather events and help provide additional tools and training to our fellow first responders.”
Local officials described the impact of previous HERO grants. Joshua Hawkins, Director of Anderson County Emergency Management, said: “Thanks to the Duke Energy HERO Grant, we were able to deploy a traffic trailer with 300 cones to our local volunteer fire departments during the recent winter storms. This may have been a simple purchase, but it makes a big impact countywide. We truly appreciate Dukes partnership with all responders.” Richard Pring, Director of Public Works for the City of Sumter added: “The Salt Dogg spreader we purchased this year through the grant provided by Duke Energy significantly enhanced our ability to respond to the winter weather events we experienced in February. Thanks to the addition of this new spreader, we were able to double our treatment capacity and effectively manage more than three inches of snowfall across the city.” V. Aaron Smith from Oconee County Emergency Services said: “The investment that Duke Energy continues to place in emergency preparedness and response is essential to bolstering our local capabilities and we are grateful for the partnership! The ability to have a second shelter trailer has been an invaluable addition. During our recent winter weather, we were able to open two simultaneous shelters with 25-person capacity, one also able to accommodate special medical needs.”
This marks the fifth year of the $500,000 microgrant program from Duke Energy Foundation—bringing total support through HERO grants in South Carolina since inception up to $2.5 million.
