EDA Provides $2.5M to Help with Arkansas Flooding

The U.S. Economic Development Administration has issued three grants totalling $2.5 million to support projects that will bolster resiliency in flood-prone areas, the agency said.

The EDA investments announced Thursday include:

• $1 million to the city of Springdale to widen drainage channels along roads that serve major employers and the most direct emergency response route for the area. The grant aims to help mitigate flooding issues and allow for continued traffic flow, emergency response and access during significant storms.
• $1 million to the White River Planning and Development District in Batesville to create an economic resource center. The money will help pay for construction of the building with office and training space, which will be built out of the floodplain to prevent future flooding and enable WRPDD to operate at full capacity. 
• $500,000 to the Southeast Arkansas Economic Development District in Pine Bluff to upgrade and rehabilitate railway infrastructure in southeast Arkansas, specifically Chicot County.