North Iowa government organization receives $400,000 in federal funding | Latest News

“It’s relying on the economic development groups in our region to reach businesses to see what their needs are,” she said. 

To facilitate that, Nelson shared that there’s a research component for finding a firm that’s experienced in looking at codes for the kinds of businesses and helping to identify recovery methods. Ideally, such work will result in one new full time position as well as those recovery and resiliency plans. Which Nelson is clear about what the differences are between the two.

“Recovery says that a disaster has happened, how do we get beyond this? Resilience says when a pandemic happens how do we get to a position where we can withstand that,” Nelson said. 

Though the pandemic is unlike anything most governmental agencies in the region and across the country have seen before, Nelson said that the work that’s being funded has precedent. 

“(We) put together flood recovery plans in 2008 and hazard mitigation planning became very much a norm … Similar to that, we now want to make sure we’re resilient as a community when it comes to pandemic issues as well,” Nelson said.

If it does become more of the norm, agencies, businesses and organizations in the area will perhaps have a firmer foundation to stand on in future times of uncertainty.