This $645,000 EDA grant to the southern oklahoma development association (soda) will support construction of the soda conference and emergency operations center

This $645,000 Economic Development Administration project grant to the Southern Oklahoma Development Association will support construction of a conference and emergency operations center. The facility will allow SODA to expand economic development planning services and disaster preparedness support to communities in times of crisis or economic downturn. As the central command center, it will coordinate response from public safety, emergency response, and other support agencies to weather events and other disasters like the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The center will also provide local governments access to technology and resources for economic resiliency and recovery in impacted areas. This award from the Department of Commerce EDA on July 15, 2021 is part of the $810,000 provided through the Economic Adjustment Assistance program (CFDA 11.307) to address adverse regional economic changes.

The facility will allow soda to expand its services communities in economic development planning and disaster preparedness, particularly in times of crisis. In times of disaster, the facility will serve as a centralized command and control room where public safety, emergency response, and support agencies can plan, prepare and respond to a wide variety of events. This includes providing local governments, with limited resources, access to technology and other resources to respond to novel disasters such as the covid-19 outbreak. At all times, the facility will provide communities with tools for economic development resiliency and recovery after the covid-19 outbreak as well as weather disasters that occurred in 2019.