Local business leaders in Rapid City say the regional economy is suffering a triple whammy.
The major blizzard and the government shutdown came on top of the earlier sequestration that hurt nearby Ellsworth Air Force base.
Linda Rabe is the President of the Rapid City Chamber of Commerce.
“When sequestration hit we noticed a lot of it in the governmental contracts. And then we noticed it when they shut down Mount Rushmore--all of the sudden the tourism industry felt it big. The we have this catastrophic blizzard and now all of the sudden we have all the rural neighbors and the ranchers shut down. So when you shut down the government, and you shut down tourism and you shut down our rural neighbors I think we’re going to feel it big time,” says Rabe.
Rabe says it’s too early to quantify the total economic cost and losses due to events over the past few months.
She gives kudos to local leaders who paid to have Mount Rushmore re-opened during the shutdown.
Rabe also stresses the importance of efforts like the Rancher Relief Fund organized by local industry organizations and the Black Hills Community Area Foundation.
