Economic Development Following the April 2011 Tornado

It began with preparedness.

Two years before the tornado, Mayor Maddox along with dozens of other City Officials received extensive disaster training at the FEMA facility in Emmetsburg, Maryland. When tragedy struck, Walt immediately implemented the City’s incident command system, mobilizing city forces and coordinating with state and federal officials. Walt led the City in putting forth immediate solutions for rescue, recovery, debris removal, and other emergency measures.

Then began the long road of recovery.

Proposed by Mayor Maddox, the City adopted the Tuscaloosa Forward process, which solicited and received input from thousands of citizens, businesses, experts, and other stakeholders. This process was a blueprint for full recovery and has been studied by many other municipalities and organizations.

After a disaster of this magnitude, there is no perfect recovery and it is impossible to please every person affected. But you have no choice but to make decisions, pick up the pieces, and move forward.

And Walt moved forwarded with extraordinary poise, dogged perseverance, determination, and courageous leadership.

He parlayed Tuscaloosa’s already healthy finances into more than $50 million in federal and state aid which resulted in these successes:

• Affordable housing developments:
• Rosedale Housing project
• Habitat for Humanity HOPE PROJECTS
• McKenzie Court
• Community Development Block Grants programs
• HOME loans
• Home Management Information Systems used for City’s Federal Programs
• Fire Station #4 rebuilt
• East Precinct of the Tuscaloosa Police Department rebuilt
• The Richard S. Curry Environmental Services Complex rebuilt
• New Public Safety Logistics building
• Expanded curbside recycling citywide
• The Revolving Loan Program and Small Business Loan Program
• The EDGE Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation business incubator
• The Shoppes at Legacy Park development to rebuild Cedar Crest area
• The City Walk developed
• The Gateway: Alberta’s Innovation and Discovery Center
• Tuscaloosa Builds, a program offering support and resources to minority-owned, woman-owned and disadvantaged businesses
• Tuscaloosa’s Emergency Alert System/TuscAlert implemented