LOS ANGELES, Jan. 3 (Xinhua) -- The Los Angeles and Orange counties passed a test by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS)for their disaster preparedness, officials said on Wednesday.

    The two counties were evaluated for their respective law enforcement agencies' ability to communicate with each other when responding to a disaster.

    The Los Angeles and Orange counties were among the 75 urban and metropolitan regions evaluated in the DHS domestic preparedness study.

    Los Angeles County received "advanced" grades in procedures and use of emergency communications systems and a "well-developed" grade in coordination of governance.

    The report recommended that Los Angeles County form a single governance body that would have formal authority during disasters while also establishing a long-term funding source for communications systems.

    Orange County received an "advanced" grade in coordination of governance and "well developed" grades in procedures and use of emergency communications systems.

    The report states that Orange County "can serve as a model for other jurisdictions based on its breadth of local and state participation, frequency of meetings and reviews, and the ability to address near-term needs and long-term inoperability goals."

    However, the DHS recommended that Orange County seek formal coordination with state and federal agencies and identify long-term funding sources to support emergency communications systems.

    Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said in a statement that the 9/11 Commission identified interoperable communications as a major challenge, and many communities listenedby taking the sometimes difficult steps necessary to close communication gaps among first responders.

    "Their experience proves that basic interoperability at the command level is achievable," he said. "We're committed to making this a priority in every major urban area, and we'll continue to push for closing these gaps by the end of 2008."

    The federal government has distributed 2.9 billion dollars to state and local first-responders to improve emergency communications systems since the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.     

    As other cities saw a decrease in federal funds, the Los Angeles-Long Beach region received 80.6 million dollars in grants from the DHS in May.

    The ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles received a combined 12 million dollars in federal grants in September to protect against terrorist attacks.

    Only six cities received top grades in the study, including San Diego, Minneapolis-St. Paul; Washington; Columbus, Ohio; Sioux Falls, S.D.; and Laramie County, Wyo.

    The lowest grades went to Chicago; Baton Rouge, La.; Cleveland; Mandan, N.D.; and American Samoa.

    The federal report did not focus on technology and equipment, but rather how a region is using, or plans to use, the equipment it has, and how well local governments oversee implementation.