Press Release
U.S. Department of Commerce Invests to Help Protect Businesses from Flooding in Lawrence, Arkansas
Contact: EDA Public Affairs Department, (202) 482-4085
September 23, 2019
WASHINGTON – Today, the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration (EDA) is awarding a $845,000 grant to Lawrence County, Arkansas, to help protect businesses in the event of future floods by improving Lawrence County Road 210. The EDA grant, to be matched with $550,000 in local investment, is expected to help create or retain 35 jobs.
“The Trump Administration is working diligently to help communities impacted by natural disasters to both recover and build back stronger,” said U.S. Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development Dr. John Fleming. “Providing the roadway infrastructure that the Lawrence County business community needs to withstand future flood events will help ensure that commerce can keep flowing and workers can keep working.”
The project will help make County Road 210 resilient to future weather events by elevating the roadway, widening culverts, and paving the surface to mitigate floodwaters and heavy rainfall. This project was made possible by the regional planning efforts led by the East Arkansas Planning and Development District (EAPDD). EDA funds EAPDD to bring together the public and private sectors to create an economic development roadmap to strengthen the regional economy, support private capital investment and create jobs.
This project is funded under the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018 (PL 115-123) (PDF) (PDF), in which Congress appropriated to EDA $600 million in additional Economic Adjustment Assistance (EAA) Program (PDF) funds for disaster relief and recovery as a result of Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria, wildfires, and other calendar year 2017 natural disasters under the Stafford Act.
About the U.S. Economic Development Administration (www.eda.gov)
The mission of the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) is to lead the federal economic development agenda by promoting competitiveness and preparing the nation's regions for growth and success in the worldwide economy. An agency within the U.S. Department of Commerce, EDA makes investments in economically distressed communities in order to create jobs for U.S. workers, promote American innovation, and accelerate long-term sustainable economic growth.