Press Release
U.S. EDA Investment to Help Implement Long-Term Disaster Recovery Efforts in 12 States and Two Territories
Contact: Public Affairs Department, (202) 482-4085
Wednesday, January 9, 2013
WASHINGTON - The U.S. Department of Commerce's Economic Development Administration (EDA) today announced an $800,000 grant to the International Economic Development Council (IEDC) and the National Association of Development Organizations (NADO) Research Foundation of Washington, D.C. The investment will help IEDC and NADO develop a regional post-disaster recovery program that will provide technical assistance, training, peer-to-peer learning and mentoring, and best practice information dissemination to communities in 12 states and two territories that were impacted by natural disasters in fiscal year 2011.
"The Obama administration is committed to helping regions affected by natural disasters rebuild and recover," said Deputy Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development Matt Erskine. "This EDA investment will provide critical capacity building assistance to disaster impacted communities in 12 states and Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands in EDA's Philadelphia region."
IEDC and NADO will help communities in Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands to identify economic recovery, resiliency and redevelopment strategies and efforts that have proven to be effective in other communities. The program will also assist individual communities locate and access necessary resources and build capacity to maintain the momentum of long-term disaster recovery.
The project is part of a $200 million appropriation made by Congress to EDA to help communities that received a major disaster designation in fiscal year 2011 with long-term economic recovery and infrastructure support.
Within the context of the administration's National Disaster Recovery Framework (NDRF) (PDF), EDA serves as the Coordinating Agency on behalf of the Department of Commerce for the Economic Recovery Support Function (RSF) to coordinate the activities of a diverse group of partner agencies supporting recovery in disaster-impacted communities. The activities consist primarily of improved information sharing and the leveraging of existing resources to make a positive impact for communities affected by disasters.
About the U.S. Economic Development Administration (www.eda.gov)
The mission of the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) is to lead the federal economic development agenda by promoting competitiveness and preparing the nation's regions for growth and success in the worldwide economy. An agency within the U.S. Department of Commerce, EDA makes investments in economically distressed communities in order to create jobs for U.S. workers, promote American innovation, and accelerate long-term sustainable economic growth.