EDA?S INVESTMENT WILL SUPPORT THE SOUTHERN IOWA COUNCIL OF GOVERNMENTS (SICOG) EFFORTS FOR RECOVERY AND RESILIENCY AFTER THE DEVASTATING STORMS AND TORNADOS IN EARLY 2024. THIS PROJECT CREATES A DISASTER RECOVERY ROLE THAT WILL ENHANCE THE REGION?S CAPABILITIES AND CAPACITIES TO ADDRESS UNMET NEEDS, INCREASE COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AND RESOURCE CONNECTIVITY, AND PROVIDE BUSINESS ASSISTANCE. AS AN EDA ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DISTRICT, SICOG RECEIVES FUNDING FROM EDA FOR A REGIONAL COMPREHENSIVE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY. THIS PROCESS BRINGS PUBLIC AND PRIVATE SECTOR RESOURCES TOGETHER TO CREATE AN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ROADMAP TO THE STRENGTHEN THE REGIONAL ECONOMY, SUPPORT PRIVATE CAPITAL INVESTMENT AND CREATE JOBS. IT IS AN ESSENTIAL BUILDING BLOCK FOR THE DISASTER RECOVERY STRATEGIES ENHANCED WITH THIS PROJECT.