Contingency Planning

SBA, Chamber of Commerce Partner for Improved Emergency Response

September 13, 2007

The U.S. Small Business Administration and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce have partnered to pool resources for more effective emergency response.

Officials say with the combination of resources, the SBA and the Chamber of Commerce will be able to more effectively respond to major disasters and enable faster recovery in affected communities.

The announced alliance with SBA is part of the continuing effort by the Chamber of Commerce's Business Civic Leadership Center 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 says.

SBA will work with BCLC to obtain volunteers to support the agency's disaster assistance process in an effort to bolster the agency's response and post-disaster recovery capacity. Additionally, SBA and BCLC will research studies on post-disaster economic recovery.

"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," says Stephen Jordan, senior vice president and executive director of BCLC. "Both of our organizations are committed to accelerating the recovery process."

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