As the nation’s communities have grown in complexity through innovation and technological advances, the potential for massive economic damage in the wake of disasters has increased.

In response, the Enterprise Innovation Institute at Georgia Tech is creating a training and education curriculum focused on building economic recovery capabilities among U.S. businesses by equipping them with skills and tools needed to support community and regional resiliencies to disasters.

Supported by a three-year funding award from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the training will also provide economic development organizations with the tools and resources required to support businesses during the recovery process of major disasters. 

Alliance Solutions Group, a Newport News, Virginia-based company that provides emergency management and safety solutions to the public, private, and defense sectors, is working with the Enterprise Innovation Institute in the research, development, and delivery of the training.

FEMA developed the grant in response to the need to enhance economic resilience among U.S. businesses, specifically in the aftermath of major disasters with long recovery periods. The agency estimates 75% of companies that do not have business continuity plans will fail within three years of a natural disaster. 

National in scope with a mix of virtual and in-person delivery, the training courses will be available in all 50 states, six territories across FEMA’s 10 regions, and 573 Native American communities. As courses are completed and ready for delivery, they will be posted in FEMA’s National Training and Educational Division online catalogue.

The Enterprise Innovation Institute’s EDA University Center, an economic development program funded by the Economic Development Administration, identified the resilience and recovery challenges for economic development districts across the country.

“Based on that analysis, we took a 360-degree approach in creating a pre-disaster preparedness and post-disaster recovery curriculum that enhances our national economic resilience,” said David Bridges, vice president of the Enterprise Innovation Institute. “This education series proactively positions businesses to deal with and mitigate the fallout from disasters when they do occur.”

Georgia Tech and Alliance Solutions Group’s national training program is designed to improve economic development organizations’ preparedness, engage communities, bolster international trade, and energize community lifelines. The program also includes a recovery phase to enhance preparedness, economic recovery, and community resilience on a national scale. Training courses and resource toolkits include: 

• Whole Community Approach to Establishing Regional Economic Resilience: Training for economic development organizations, planners, and local/regional leaders who will integrate economic development strategies with hazard mitigation plans to enhance regional economic resilience.

• Export Resiliency during International Disasters: Training for export focused EDOs tailored to exporters and international businesses’ unique needs to learn how to quickly stabilize and restore exports during disasters.

• Crisis Leadership and Decision-making: Implementing Community Lifelines to Accelerate Economic Recovery: Training for community leaders, managers and EDOs that will prepare decision makers to stabilize and restore lifelines.

As the nation’s oldest, largest, and most diverse university-based economic development organization, the Enterprise Innovation Institute brings a wealth of knowledge, expertise, and research in strategic planning and ecosystem building for a comprehensive training program.

Alliance Solutions Group has more than 16 years of corporate experience in the development of innovative training, exercise, and management programs that build sustainable disaster preparedness and environmental, health and safety capabilities for private and public sector clients.