FDIC Hosts Disaster Recovery and CRA Webinar for Kansas City Region

When natural disasters strike the American heartland, the immediate emergency response grabs the headlines, but the slow, grinding financial recovery is where communities often falter. To address the complex mechanics of rebuilding after widespread devastation, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) has announced a targeted stakeholder webinar scheduled for November 18, 2026.

The virtual session is specifically designed for stakeholders across the FDIC’s seven-state Kansas City Region, which includes Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota. The overarching goal is to forge direct partnerships between traditional financial institutions, Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs), and community-based organizations. Officials aim to stabilize and revitalize qualifying disaster zones, focusing heavily on low- and moderate-income neighborhoods as well as distressed, underserved nonmetropolitan middle-income areas.

Aligning Relief Efforts with Regulatory Frameworks

Disaster recovery requires more than charitable donations; it demands structured capital deployment. During the November 18 event, FDIC examiners will break down how local financial institutions can align their recovery financing with the Community Reinvestment Act (CRA). By connecting regulatory compliance with humanitarian need, regulators hope to unlock essential private-sector lending for neighborhoods struggling to clear the ledger after severe weather events.

FDIC Hosts Disaster Recovery and CRA Webinar for Kansas City Region

This initiative carries profound urgency across the region. There are currently 46 active FEMA disaster declarations scattered throughout the seven states encompassed by the FDIC’s Kansas City Region, stretching local municipal budgets and straining regional lenders to their limits.

The program features a broad interagency lineup of federal and state experts to brief attendees on active recovery resources. Presenters include Jay Van Der Werff, Regional Administrator for FEMA Region 7, alongside Sandra Donaldson and Tuere Williams from the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Office of Community Planning and Development. Small business recovery strategies will be addressed by Burl Kelton from the U.S. Small Business Administration, while immediate humanitarian relief perspectives will be provided by Brice Johnson, Regional Chief Executive Officer for the American Red Cross Minnesota and Dakotas Region.

State emergency management is represented by Jonathan York, Deputy Director of the Kansas Division of Emergency Management, and Allison Farole, Director of the Homeland Security and Emergency Management Division within the Minnesota Department of Public Safety. FDIC personnel Griffin Weckerlin, Andrew Barbes, Greg Housel, and Luke W. Reynolds will round out the panel by detailing community affairs and compliance pathways.

Participation and Logistics

The webinar runs from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. ET. Financial institutions, community organizations, and local government officials operating within Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota are encouraged to participate.

Interested attendees can sign up through the registration portal provided in official agency advisories. Anyone with specific inquiries regarding the event agenda or logistical requirements can reach out directly to FDIC Community Affairs Specialist Greg Housel via email at [email protected].