White House Task Force Releases Hurricane Sandy Rebuilding Strategy

Tags | Small Business Assistance | Uncategorized

August 10, 2013

President Obama convened the Hurricane Sandy Rebuilding Task Force and appointed the Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Shaun Donovan as chair. On Monday, August 19th, the task force released the Hurricane Sandy Rebuilding Strategy report, which provides a model for communities across the nation facing greater risks from extreme weather and to continue helping the Sandy-affected region rebuild. Through 69 policy recommendations, the report outlines strategies for the federal government to cut red tape in helping to get families back in homes, small businesses back on their feet and help communities rebuild their critical infrastructure. It also features ideas for piloting resilience strategies to strengthen communities in the Superstorm Sandy-affected areas. The report also has recommendations for supporting small businesses by making it easier for them to access Federal contracts, suggestions for improvements to SBA’s disaster loans, for specialized skills training programs, and creating a one-stop shop online for small businesses. The goal of these and other recommendations in the Rebuilding Strategy is to:

Align federal funding with local rebuilding visions.
Cut red tape and get assistance to families, businesses, and communities efficiently and effectively, with maximum accountability.
Coordinate the efforts of the Federal, State, and local governments, with a region-wide approach to rebuilding.
Ensure the region is rebuilt in a way that makes it more resilient – that is, better able to withstand future storms and other risks posed by a changing climate.

Click here to learn more about the report.