SBA and U.S.
Chamber of Commerce Reach Agreement To Enhance Disaster Response and Recovery
WASHINGTON - The U.S. Small Business Administration and the U.S. Chamber
of Commerce will pool their resources to more effectively respond to major disasters,
paving the way for faster recovery in affected communities.
The
SBA's alliance with the Chamber's Business Civic Leadership Center (BCLC) is part
of a continuing effort to broaden the agency's response capacity in catastrophic
disasters.
"This collaboration will establish a larger
corps of potential responders, made up of business leaders, the SBA and its resource
partners, ready on short notice to help disaster victims rebuild their lives,"
SBA Administrator Steve Preston said.
Stephen Jordan, senior vice president
and executive director of BCLC, also praised the agreement saying, "This
relationship between BCLC and SBA sets a precedent for America's business community
to work with the federal government to prepare for and recover from catastrophic
disasters. Both of our organizations are committed to accelerating the recovery
process."
Per the agreement, SBA will provide information
on its disaster recovery program and the agency's resource partners (including
Women's Business Centers, SCORE, and Small Business Development Centers) to BCLC
and local chambers of commerce. In addition, SBA will share situation analyses
with BCLC and local chambers' during pre-disaster and recovery periods, and share
needs and capability assessments in the event of a catastrophic disaster.
To
bolster SBA's initial response and post-disaster recovery capacity, the agency
will work with BCLC to obtain volunteers who can support the agency's disaster
assistance process. SBA will also work with BCLC on research studies on post-disaster
economic recovery.
BCLC will contribute to the alliance
by providing timely information and on-site updates to the SBA, and helping bolster
SBA's disaster assistance capabilities through its members and networks. In addition,
BCLC will also work with SBA's resource partners, providing recovery assistance
information to the local business community and details on how to prepare for
disaster before it strikes.
For the latest news and information
on SBA's Disaster Assistance program, visit the Web site at http://www.sba.gov/services/disasterassistance/index.html.
For information on BCLC and its disaster assistance and recovery program, visit
www.uschamber.com/bclc.
NBA
Strategic Partner - U.S. Small Business
Administration
NBA
Resource Article - Disaster Planning Essential
for Small Businesses
NBA
Resource Article - Plan, Prepare, Recover–Keeping
Your Business Safe
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the article is for informational purposes for our members and viewers of our Web
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