An over $1 million grant from the Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has been awarded to a regional task force meant to help it respond to terrorist attacks, the City of Long Beach announced Thursday.

The $1,223,225 grant, called Program to Prepare Communities for Complex Coordinated Terrorist Attacks (CCTA Program), was awarded to the Los Angeles/Long Beach Urban Areas Security Initiative to “enhance security and build capacity for jurisdictions to prepare for, prevent and respond to complex coordinated terrorist attacks that may occur across the nation,” according to a release from the city.

“The safety of our citizens is our top priority so we are looking forward to putting the grant to good use,” said Mayor Robert Garcia in a statement. “The support will allow us to create a stronger multi-agency coordinated plan against terror attacks.”

The LA/LB UASI is composed of agencies representing the cities of Los Angeles and Long Beach and the County of Los Angeles with a mission to enhance regional preparedness for a major emergency or disaster through an expanded regional collaboration.

“This grant will enhance our ability to create coordinated strategies within the region to identify gaps and update our counter terrorism plans,” said Long Beach Disaster Preparedness Director Reginald Harrison in a statement. “We will focus on advancing whole community and regional partnerships as we develop training exercises.”

The regional task force was among 29 grant awardees out of almost 200 applicants nationwide.

The LA/LB UASI, in collaboration with the Anaheim/Santa Ana UASI, and San Bernardino County were the only two California grant recipients.