The University of Hawaii will receive $4.7 million to continue to develop programs to train Hawaii’s first responders in disaster preparedness, Sen. Daniel Inouye, Sen. Daniel Akaka and Rep. Colleen Hanabusa announced on Thursday. 

“Hawaii’s isolated location in the middle of the Pacific means we have to protect our residents and visitors from a wide array of threats,” Inouye said in a statement released by his office. “Our first responders must prepare for and deal with a unique set of challenges faced only by island communities surrounded by the sea.”

Akaka, who is a senior member of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Government Affairs, called the “important funding” a benefit to Hawaii. 

The funds come from the Homeland Security National Training Program.