IEDC is pleased to share that this week the Biden Administration sent a request to Congress for Disaster Supplemental funding to assist communities impacted by Hurricanes Helene and Milton. The request includes $1.5 billion for the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) to augment recovery and resiliency efforts, which IEDC specifically advocated for. EDA plays a unique and critical role in federal disaster recovery efforts and this funding would empower EDA to transform how it addresses disaster recovery in a more comprehensive way. 

The Administration’s request also includes funding for other important agencies and programs critical to the long-term economic recovery of the impacted communities including the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery fund (CDBG DR) and the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA).

“The International Economic Development Association (IEDC) strongly supports funding for Disaster Recovery, especially with specific funding for the U.S. Economic Development Administration,” said IEDC President and CEO Nathan Ohle. “Hurricanes Helene and Milton devastated communities of all sizes, including damage to critical infrastructure, housing, and small businesses, impacting the economic prosperity of these places for years to come. EDA plays a unique and critical role in disaster recovery and this funding could be applied towards capacity building, and long-term funding that would be a lifeline to impacted communities, including many IEDC members.”

IEDC’s more than 4,500 economic developer members across the country play a key role in pre-disaster mitigation and post-disaster recovery. With the help of countless IEDC’s members, IEDC has assisted hundreds of communities in their disaster recovery efforts for more than two decades, and this funding will help communities recover through long-term economic development planning and implementation.

In October, IEDC sent a letter to U.S. Congressional leadership and appropriators to support the Disaster Supplemental and was joined by signatories the National Association of Development Organizations (NADO), the Development District Association of Appalachia (DDAA), the National League of Cities (NLC), and the State Economic Development Executives Network (SEDE).

This advocacy had a direct effect on the funding request for EDA to be included in the supplemental disaster funding request and is critical to the long-term economic recovery of communities affected by the hurricanes.