DRA Launches Workshops to Help Delta Leaders Deal with Disasters

Chris Masingill

The Delta Regional Authority is launching a series of training sessions to help elected officials and economic developers in the region be prepared for natural and economic disasters.

The series, Leading Economically Competitive and Resilient Communities, will hit 32 cities and towns throughout the Mississippi River delta region served by the federal DRA. It will be in Jonesboro on Oct. 15-16 and Pine Bluff Oct. 29-30. Specific times and locations have yet to be announced.

The intensive boot-camp courses will help prepare local elected officials and economic development leaders to support economic development and disaster resilience activities and planning in their communities, according to DRA.

“We know that natural and economic crises will strike whether we are prepared or not,” said DRA Chairman Chris Masingill in a news release. “These trainings will help educate our local leadership on how to better plan for proactive economic development and post-disaster business recovery, and we look forward to working with these leaders to build economically competitive and resilient communities.”

The goal of the training series is to help empower community leaders to strengthen their local economies and prepare for natural and economic disasters through proactive disaster risk management, business and industry recovery, and collaboration among emergency management entities. 

The DRA is partnering with the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration to present the workshops and will be utilizing the International Economic Development Council for curriculum and content development, according to the release.

“Strengthening the resiliency of American communities and regions is a top priority for President Obama and is an important component of the Commerce Department’s strategic plan,” said Jay Williams, U.S. Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development. “The U.S. Economic Development Administration is pleased to partner with the DRA and the IEDC to provide this critical hands-on training to strengthen disaster resiliency planning in our communities and regions.”

Each workshop will consist of a two-day training that covers economic development targeted at local elected officials or training elected officials and economic developers in disaster and economic resilience.

Elected officials and economic developers interested in attending the workshops must register online at DRA.gov/competitive-communities.