Nov. 2008

Section: News

Assessment Team Offers Experience and Advice for Hurricane Victims

Six weeks after Hurricane Ike, BCLC and the International Economic Development Council (IEDC) sent a team into the Galveston disaster area to perform a "Business Recovery Technical Assistance Site Visit." Whereas other disaster assessments focus on physical damages, this team focused on long-term economic recovery.

The BCLC/IEDC team comprised experts in the fields of economic development, emergency management, business, and disaster recovery. None of the team resided within the affected area — and the "outsider's perspective" allowed for an unbiased outlook when meeting with local, regional, and state representatives from various sectors in the community. The assessment team was hosted by the Galveston Economic Development Partnership and the Galveston Chamber of Commerce.

For a day and a half, the team had back-to-back meetings with different organizations to discuss topics such as: workforce development, business and political leadership, response efforts, cultural and community assets, regional planning, large employers, small-business development, and finance.

After all the meetings, the team compiled their notes and created a report summary. The Galveston community was invited to attend a presentation based on the team's observations, which included strengths, challenges, and recommendations as the community moves forward in their recovery. Attendees also had an opportunity to ask questions and comment on the findings.

Greg Harrington, chairman of the Galveston Chamber Board, who coordinated the organizations' participation, said, "The report is a good tool. It also outlined some areas we already knew, but we could now all focus on them, such as establishing a Recovery Committee." 

The road to recovery, however, is neither easy nor short. In the three weeks since the team's visit to Galveston, the community has had a few setbacks. Just after establishing a Recovery Committee, they lost their committee chairman and now have to restart the whole process.

In addition, Galveston's largest employer laid off 3,800 people in an area with less than 60,000 residents. While this was not a total surprise to those who were watching the local economy, it has added another burden during this time of recovery.

But, communities do not need to face their recovery alone. Greg Harrington added further, "Galveston is really looking at how other communities have addressed recovery, such as in Cedar Rapids and Jefferson Parrish, Louisiana. We thank the team for both highlighting their examples and giving us resources to reach out to them."

- Ines Pearce