The Illinois Emergency Management Agency (IEMA) will provide technical support to the city of Chicago as part of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Securing the Cities Program. DHS announced Monday the program is expanding to include Chicago and Houston.

The Securing the Cities program seeks to reduce the risk of a successful deployment of a radiological or nuclear weapon against major metropolitan areas by assisting state and local partner agencies as they build regional capabilities to detect, analyze and report nuclear and other radioactive materials. The program provides up to $30 million over five years to a region selected through a competitive application process.

“We are excited Chicago was selected for inclusion in the Securing the Cities Program, and we look forward to supporting them as this project takes shape,” said IEMA Director James K. Joseph. “IEMA has some of the top nuclear and radiation safety experts in the country on our staff who will bring extensive knowledge and expertise to this effort.” The start date for funding to the Chicago project will be announced at a later date.