Columbia mayor to be honored Sunday for leadership during 2015 flood

Mayor Steve Benjamin will be recognized in the nation’s capital Sunday for his leadership during the October 2015 flood.

Benjamin will be honored by the U.S. Small Business Administration with the 2017 Phoenix Award for Outstanding Contributions to Disaster Recovery by a Public Official. He was selected by the association for his leadership during the historic flooding of October 2015, and is one of two public officials in the country receiving the award, according to a release from the City of Columbia. He will receive the award at a Sunday ceremony in Washington, D.C.

“The October 2015 flood was such an incredibly devastating time for our city, but it was truly a time during which our resiliency as a city was shown,” Benjamin said. “I’m honored to receive this award, and I thank our first responders, military, city officials and residents for the collaboration that was achieved during that difficult time.”

Sunday’s ceremony will mark the beginning of National Small Business Week, which runs through Saturday.

This story was originally published April 30, 2017 at 1:14 PM with the headline "Columbia mayor to be honored Sunday for leadership during 2015 flood."