Press Release
U.S. Economic Development Administration Announces Grants to Support Disaster Recovery in Massachusetts and New Hampshire
Contact: Public Affairs Department, (202) 482-4085
Wednesday, May 29, 2013
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Commerce Department’s Economic Development Administration (EDA) today announced $584,311 in investments to support economic recovery in Massachusetts and New Hampshire, following natural disasters in 2011.
“These EDA investments are great examples of the Obama administration’s commitment to helping communities affected by natural disasters rebuild and expand economic opportunity,” said U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development Matt Erskine. “The two EDA grants announced today will help local communities in Massachusetts and New Hampshire rebuild their infrastructure, support business growth, and enhance their readiness for future disasters.”
The investments announced today include:
In Massachusetts, a $284,311 EDA grant to the Franklin County Community Development Corporation of Greenfield, Massachusetts, will support a private-public initiative to provide technical assistance to businesses along the Route 2 corridor in western Massachusetts that were adversely impacted by Tropical Storm Irene in 2011. This includes the hiring of two business development specialists, the opening of a business counseling center, and the development of an industry cluster study for the state’s Northern Tier region.
In New Hampshire, a $300,000 EDA grant to the North Country Council of Bethlehem, New Hampshire, will fund the hiring of a disaster recovery coordinator to work with local officials and business leaders to facilitate long-term economic recovery efforts and to develop a disaster preparedness plan for communities in Grafton, Carroll, and Coos counties that suffered severe damage from natural disasters in 2011.
These projects are 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.