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MONTGOMERY, Alabama — Leaders of a partnership formed to suggest plans for the long-term recovery of tornado-ravaged communities said today that they hope the group will help avoid duplication in identifying needs and delivering help.

“The idea is to get everyone together . . . to assist the local leaders in these communities,” said Jim Byard Jr., director of the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs. Gov. Robert Bentley earlier this month picked ADECA as the state’s coordinating agency for long-term community recovery from April’s devastating tornadoes.

Byard, at Bentley’s direction, invited people from government agencies, companies, associations and other groups to meet at the Capitol today to develop a partnership to recommend plans for long-term storm recovery.

About 100 people showed up, including many employees of ADECA and the Federal Emergency Management Agency, along with officials with Alabama Power, the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, the state home builders association, state transportation department and many other groups.

Partnership members plan to meet again July 7 at the Alabama Center for Commerce in Montgomery to better define community needs in six areas: health and social services, economic development, community planning, housing, infrastructure and natural and cultural resources.

People involved in each group later will be asked to suggest ways to deliver federal, state and private money or other resources in a comprehensive recovery effort, said ADECA official Jessica Dent, the state coordinator for long-term disaster recovery.

Charles Ball, executive director of the Regional Planning Commission of Greater Birmingham, attended the meeting “to make more connections with people who may have expertise and resources that can be used within our region for rebuilding.”

Asked what he thought would come out of the partnership meetings, Ball said, “Hopefully, we’ll have some type of semblance of a statewide implementation plan for storm recovery. I don’t know if anybody knows what that looks like yet, but I think it’s a noble goal.”

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