Press Release

Release Date: June 30, 2005
Contact: Dr. Diane Barlar, Director of Marketing & Development, dbarlar@uwf.edu

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

FEMA Course Prepares Florida SBDCs
To Be Front Line Responders

On June 20-23, eleven Florida SBDC Network professional staff participated in the Disaster Resistant Jobs: Strategies for Community Emergency & Economic Risk (CEER) Management Course. Held at the National Emergency Training Center in Emmitsburg, Maryland, the course prepared front line responders in a train-the-trainer format. Developed by the Economic Development Administration and the Federal Emergency Management Agency to help small and medium size communities protect their economy from the effects of catastrophic events, the course provided participants with the tools to respond more effectively.

Communities that experience major disasters lose a major portion of their economic base. Studies have shown that after a disaster, 60% of small and medium size businesses fail within two years and many never return once they are closed for even a few days due to floods, tornadoes, earthquakes and hurricanes. The community suffers from the hazardous effects and, in the long run, job loss and a diminished tax base further reduce the community's return to normalcy.

More than half of the 24 class participants were from Florida (worst hit by the four hurricanes). Others were from Utah, Guam, Maryland, California, Kentucky, Georgia and Oklahoma. Topics of the four-day course included The Importance of Disaster Resistant Jobs; Creating Disaster Resistant Jobs; Recognizing the Impact; What About Mitigation?; Disaster Resistant Economic Development Planning Process; and Business Recovery. On the last day, students presented a plan centering on protecting the economic base of their local community.

As a statewide partnership between higher education and economic development dedicated to helping entrepreneurs start and grow successful business in Florida, the FSBDCN’s network of 31 centers played a major role in the disaster recovery efforts resulting from the four hurricanes that hit Florida last year. To better prepare for future catastrophic events, Florida SBDC Network graduates/trainers will address groups including local economic development agencies, Chamber of Commerce meetings, service club luncheons, business meetings and other formats to raise awareness and address the issue of protecting the communities’ economic base. Other more specific plans will follow that address the unique needs of different Florida regions.

Click to view photos of Florida SBDC Network Graduates of FEMA Course