North Carolina Construction News staff writerNorth
North Carolina has received approval from the U.S. Department of Labor for an initial grant of $10 million to provide jobs and training services in areas severely impacted by Hurricane Helene.
“The impacts from Hurricane Helene have been catastrophic for western North Carolina, causing immense damage to many communities and hurting our state’s economy,” said Gov. Roy Cooper. “As we continue our unprecedented response effort to surge resources into affected areas, this grant from our federal partners will help provide critical jobs and training services to those in need.
We’re “grateful for the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to helping our state rebuild and recover from this storm.”
The North Carolina Department of Commerce’s Division of Workforce Solutions requested the funds. Approximately $2 million will be available immediately, with the remainder distributed as needed to support workforce development efforts in the months to come. The division is eligible to apply for additional funding beyond the initial $10 million as needed for further support.
“We look forward to using these resources to support disaster relief and recovery by connecting people who need work with organizations that need workers,” said Machelle Baker Sanders, N.C. Commerce Secretary. “The challenges facing the communities of western North Carolina are immense, but our people are resilient, and together, we will rebuild.”
The 25 counties included in this Disaster Recovery Dislocated Worker Grant are Alexander, Alleghany, Ashe, Avery, Buncombe, Burke, Caldwell, Catawba, Clay, Cleveland, Gaston, Haywood, Henderson, Jackson, Lincoln, Macon, Madison, McDowell, Mitchell, Polk, Rutherford, Transylvania, Watauga, Wilkes, and Yancey.
These counties were declared eligible for assistance through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Pending federal approval, Mecklenburg and Swain counties, recently added to the major disaster declaration, may also be included in the grant area.
Through the two-year grant, eligible residents will be employed in jobs supporting cleanup and recovery from the storm’s devastation or providing humanitarian assistance to affected residents.
Supported by the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act, Dislocated Worker Grants fund temporary jobs in response to significant unexpected events that cause job losses. Participants may be employed for up to 12 months and may work for nonprofit organizations, state or local government agencies, or private businesses involved in relevant disaster-recovery efforts.
In addition to temporary employment, this grant can support employment and training services to help people find new jobs and pay for workforce training at community colleges.
Workers may qualify for the grant if they were temporarily or permanently laid off due to the hurricane or meet certain other criteria.
In partnership with various local workforce development boards, the Division of Workforce Solutions has administered several different grants of this type in recent years. The most recent national dislocated worker grant for a storm in North Carolina was approved in the aftermath of Hurricane Florence in 2018.