ABSTRACT
The Economic Development Administration (EDA) went into the disaster zone and provided project and infrastructure-based resources to promote long-term recovery. The EDA funded thirty-four projects that included economic planning grants, public works/infrastructure grants, technical assistance/business incubator grants, and revolving loan funds. The anticipated Phoenix Effect, where recovery goes beyond the prior state to one of improved social and economic benefits, will be lost as many billions are poured into mitigation that can only fail given the climatic trends. Response to hurricane events and other synchronic disasters has been the focus of a societal “culture of response.” Yet people are aware of and must deal at times with the prolonged after effects of disasters, known as secondary disasters: disease, loss of job and income, psychological trauma, and even loss of place. Goodwill Industries has been one of the hallmark successes of the EDA Phoenix Effect revitalization effort after Hurricane Andrew.
