Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Friday launched Disaster Corps, what he called a first-in-the-nation program to coordinate volunteer response to disasters.

San Francisco, Los Angeles, Riverside, San Bernardino and San Diego counties were awarded a total of about $1.2 million in federal homeland security funds to help pay for background checks and volunteer training, Schwarzenegger's office said in a written statement.

At a press conference in Los Angeles, Schwarzenegger said that in the event of a disaster, "We're going to have to rely on volunteers to help."