Governor Rick Scott announced that Florida has been awarded federal National Dislocated Worker Grants to provide temporary employment to Floridians affected by Hurricane Michael. The federal National Dislocated Worker Grant, administered by the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity (DEO), provides disaster relief employment in the form of temporary jobs that support storm response and recovery efforts.
Governor Scott said, “As communities in the Florida Panhandle continue to recover from Hurricane Michael, we are doing everything we can to help families and businesses return to normal. These grants will provide Floridians who may have lost their jobs due to this devastating storm temporary employment opportunities and will allow them to support themselves and the ongoing recovery efforts in their communities. As we all work toward recovery, taking care of Florida families comes first. We will never stop fighting to make sure every family can get back on their feet.”
Disaster relief employment supports projects that provide food, clothing, shelter and other humanitarian assistance for disaster victims and projects that involve demolition, cleaning, repair, renovation and reconstruction of damaged structures and facilities. Individuals who qualify for disaster relief employment are people who are temporarily or permanently laid off as a consequence of the disaster, dislocated workers including the self-employed who have lost work due to the hurricane, and individuals who have been unemployed long-term.
DEO Executive Director Cissy Proctor said, “Getting Floridians back to work is a critical step in our recovery process. These Dislocated Worker Grants will connect individuals looking for work to disaster recovery and cleanup efforts in their communities. We are going to continue bringing every state and federal resource available to help the Panhandle recover quickly.”
CareerSource Florida President and CEO Michelle Dennard said, “There is an urgent need for cleanup, recovery and reconstruction efforts in multiple counties devastated by Hurricane Michael. These funds will help Floridians immediately assist their neighbors while providing wages essential to supporting families affected by the storm.”
To look for employment opportunities to help rebuild Florida’s communities after a disaster or to post disaster-related jobs where a labor force is needed, visit Florida’s Disaster Recovery Jobs Portal at disasterrecovery.employflorida.com.
For information regarding National Dislocated Worker Grants, visit your local career center at careersourceflorida.com/your-local-team.
In addition to the Dislocated Worker Grants, DEO is also providing the following programs to assist in the recovery from Hurricane Michael:
The Florida Small Business Emergency Bridge Loan Program provides cash flow to businesses damaged by a disaster. The short-term, interest-free loans help bridge the gap between the time damage is incurred and when a business secures other financial resources, including payment of insurance claims or longer-term Small Business Administration loans. Visit floridadisasterloan.org to apply until December 7, 2018.
Businesses can complete a damage assessment survey at floridadisaster.biz/BusinessDamageAssessments and select 2018 Michael.
The Disaster Unemployment Assistance (DUA) Program is available to Florida businesses and residents whose employment or self-employment was lost or interrupted as a result of Hurricane Michael. To apply for DUA, go to floridajobs.org or call the Florida Disaster Unemployment Assistance Line at 1-800-385-3920. Individuals affected in these designated-disaster areas must file DUA applications by November 14, 2018.
DEO provides Labor Shed reports, which are a high-level summary of employment, demographics and commuting patterns in a specified area. These reports assist businesses and local officials in understanding potential impacts of natural disasters as they relate to employment, demographic and commuting trends when implementing local recovery efforts. To access these reports, click here.
