TL;DR: Clearfield County commissioners voted at their Tuesday meeting to accept a $315,000 Homeland Security grant that funds regional water rescue, dive, drone and animal-rescue capabilities.

Commissioners vote to take $315,000 in readiness money

CLEARFIELD — The Clearfield County Commissioners voted to accept a $315,000 state Homeland Security Grant at its meeting on Tuesday, according to reporting by The Progress News.

The publication, which posted its account on Sept. 10, 2026, identified the action as acceptance of an annual grant connected to the federal Emergency Management Agency.

A second report by WJAC, posted Sept. 8, 2026 at 5:29 p.m., described the same $315,000 award as support for the Northwest Central Emergency Response group.

County leaders said the funding will help support the regional task force's capabilities while responding to emergencies, according to WJAC.

Coverage by GantNews.com, published Sept. 10, 2026, characterized the vote as approval of a grant agreement from the Department of Homeland Security to support ongoing regional rescue operations through the Northwest Central Emergency Response Group, also called the NWC ERG.

The three accounts agree on the core outcome: the county said yes to $315,000 for regional emergency capacity, not for a single department purchase.

Deputy Director Scott Mignot of Clearfield County Emergency Services/EMA discussed the award with commissioners during the meeting, according to The Progress News.

How an annual federal-to-state grant reaches a rural task force

Mignot said it is an annual grant through the federal Emergency Management Agency, which goes to the states, which direct the funds to regional task forces to respond to natural disasters, terrorist attacks and other catastrophes, according to The Progress News.

That structure matters for preparedness planning because the money does not remain solely inside Clearfield County government.

Mignot said the local task force uses the grant to fund the water rescue teams, the drone program, the animal rescue task forces, dive teams, training, and related needs, and it is used throughout the region and not just Clearfield County, according to The Progress News.

WJAC reported that commissioners say the task force also works with neighboring counties during disasters, providing additional resources when they're needed.

GantNews.com reported that Mignot said the NWC ERG will meet to discuss how to allocate the $315,000 grant.

The same GantNews.com account said that in previous years, funding has supported water rescue operations, dive team equipment, animal rescues, and emergency training sessions for local schools and church groups.

Emergency responders say the Homeland Security grant support continues the push for improved efforts in rural communities, according to WJAC.

What the money keeps ready: boats, divers, drones and training

The funded capabilities center on specialized teams rather than routine fire or ambulance service.

According to The Progress News, the listed uses include water rescue teams, the drone program, the animal rescue task forces, dive teams, and training.

GantNews.com listed prior-year uses as water rescue operations, dive team equipment, animal rescues, and emergency training sessions for local schools and church groups.

Those categories show a mix of personnel, equipment and instruction.

Training for local schools and church groups indicates that part of the grant history involves community-level instruction, according to GantNews.com.

Dive team equipment is identified separately from water rescue operations in that history, according to GantNews.com.

The drone program is identified by The Progress News as one of the current task-force functions supported through the grant.

Animal rescue task forces are likewise named by The Progress News among the functions drawing on the award.

Officials say the southern area has seen major flooding and tornadoes this year, requiring additional assistance from first responders, according to WJAC.

Lock Haven flood response shows regional deployment

Commissioner Dave Glass asked if the county had water rescue teams respond to flooding in Lock Haven last week, according to The Progress News.

Mignot said the Region 3 Swift Water Rescue Team did respond to the emergency, according to The Progress News.

GantNews.com reported that last week, the NWC ERG deployed to Lock Haven to assist the Central Region task force with emergency water rescues.

Mignot tied that deployment directly to the grant, stating, "That wouldn't be possible without this money," according to The Progress News.

Mignot noted that their water rescue task force is nationally accredited and can respond to disasters all over the country, according to The Progress News.

GantNews.com similarly reported that Mignot noted the local task force is a nationally accredited unit capable of deploying nationwide for major disasters.

The accreditation detail explains why a county-accepted grant can produce crews operating outside the county and outside Pennsylvania.

Why commissioners called the program out of sight until failure

Commissioner Tim Winters said, "This is one of those things that is out of sight, out of mind until something goes wrong," according to The Progress News.

Winters added, "Disaster preparedness is incredibly important, especially in rural parts of the state where response times may be longer," according to The Progress News.

WJAC quoted Winters as saying, "The preparedness is always going on behind the scenes. And you really only see that when something goes wrong. And in that we have been very fortunate; that response has been very good."

Commissioner John Sobel noted that Mother Nature has hit Clearfield County hard this year and said he is grateful that they receive the money and what it is used for, according to The Progress News.

Glass agreed and said these grants are important to the county's readiness, according to The Progress News.

Glass said, "Grants like this are so crucial, recovery funds are so crucial and it goes to show how important organizations like FEMA and PEMA really are and we don't want to see them go away," according to The Progress News.

WJAC quoted Glass as saying, "Grants like this are so crucial. Recovery funds are so crucial. And this just really shows how important organizations like FEMA and PEMA are. And we really don't want to see them go away."

Aug. 22 Madera tornado declaration and damage thresholds

The commissioners also ratified the Local Disaster Emergency Declaration for Aug. 22 for the tornado that touched down in Madera, according to The Progress News.

Mignot said it was a category one tornado with winds of 90 mph, according to The Progress News.

GantNews.com described the event as a confirmed EF1 tornado affecting Bigler and Decatur townships.

The Progress News reported that there weren't a lot of structures that were damaged but there was infrastructure damage in Bigler and Decatur townships such as damage to roads, downed trees, and similar impacts.

GantNews.com reported that while some damage to buildings was reported, Mignot said the storm mostly damaged infrastructure, including extensive tree damage and downed power lines.

Mignot said, on their own, there wasn't enough damage to receive money from Pennsylvania Emergency Management or FEMA, according to The Progress News.

He said to qualify for funding the county has to have a minimum of $400,000 in damage and the state $25 million from an event to receive funding, according to The Progress News.

However, other areas could have also received damage from the event, and in the future they could be combined to meet the threshold, Mignot said, according to The Progress News.

So to be eligible for possible funds, the disaster declaration has to be approved, according to The Progress News.

The commissioners voted unanimously to approve the declaration, according to The Progress News.

GantNews.com reported that Mignot added that submitting municipal disaster declarations following severe weather helps the county and state aggregate damage assessments from adjacent communities, making it easier to meet the monetary thresholds required to qualify for federal disaster assistance.

In other business, commissioners approved emergency disaster declarations for Bigler and Decatur townships following the confirmed EF1 tornado, according to GantNews.com.

Other county business acted on the same day

In other business, the commissioners voted to approve a resolution forgiving the delinquent taxes at 644 Filbert St. in Curwensville Borough, according to The Progress News.

Curwensville Borough was able to obtain the property and is planning to demolish a dilapidated structure on the property, according to county Solicitor Heather Bozovich, as reported by The Progress News.

The board also approved a tax appeal resolution regarding ARC Human Services, according to The Progress News.

ARC appealed its property taxes asking for exemption status on its property in the City of DuBois and the parties reached a resolution where ARC would receive a 50 percent exemption for the next five years, Bozovich said, according to The Progress News.

The commissioners approved an agreement with Advanced Office Systems to digitize documents for Children, Youth and Family Services at an estimated cost of $68,000, according to The Progress News.

The board approved Business Associate Agreements with Summit School Inc. and Community Specialist Corp., according to The Progress News.

The state has recently updated its privacy requirements for medical records and these agreements reflect these changes, Bozovich said, according to The Progress News.

The commissioners approved purchase of service agreements with Community Specialists Corp., Autumn Bloom LCSW LLC, and Menta Psychological, according to The Progress News.

Personnel actions included new hires Michael Wright as court intern in the district attorney's office, Isaiah Simmons as part-time corrections officer at the Clearfield County Jail, and Wanda Smith as county social services aide for Children, Youth and Services, according to The Progress News.

Transfers included Zachary Niebauer from part-time corrections officer to full-time corrections officer at the county jail, and Talon Hover from telecommunicator/911 to Quality Assurance Supervisor/911, according to The Progress News.

Separations and retirements included Callie Booden, court intern in the district attorney's office, Ricky Lansberry Jr., corrections officer at the county jail, and Stephen Sinclair, deputy director for planning at EMA, according to The Progress News.

Sources referenced