ETA New Releases
ETA News Release: [October 21, 2004]
Contact Name: Ed Frank or Lorette Post
Phone Number: 202-693-4676 or 693-3984
U.S. Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao Announces $10.4 Million to Aid Pennsylvania Workers Affected by Recent Hurricane-Related Floods
PITTSBURGH, Pa.-U.S. Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao today announced a National Emergency Grant of $10.4 million to assist workers in Pennsylvania who lost their jobs due to recent hurricane-related flooding.
"The President and I want to do everything we can to help Pennsylvania workers affected by recent hurricane-related flooding get back on their feet," said U.S. Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao. "This $10.4 million grant will create nearly 700 jobs for unemployed workers to aid with disaster clean-up and help restore and rebuild the communities in Pennsylvania that have been impacted by these storms."
Awarded to the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry, the grant will provide temporary jobs for workers who became unemployed as a result of the hurricanes, as well as other dislocated workers. The emergency funds will be used on projects that provide food, clothing, shelter and other humanitarian assistance for disaster victims.
Workers will also help with demolition, renovation and reconstruction of destroyed public structures, facilities and lands, and will be able to assist with work on homes of economically disadvantaged individuals who are eligible for the federally funded weatherization program. Priority will be given to services for the elderly and individuals with disabilities.
The grant will fund temporary jobs for approximately 672 individuals in the following 46 counties declared eligible for public assistance by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA): Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Bedford, Blair, Bradford, Bucks, Butler, Cameron, Carbon, Centre, Clarion, Clearfield, Clinton, Columbia, Cumberland, Dauphin, Fulton, Franklin, Greene, Huntingdon, Indiana, Jefferson, Juniata, Lackawanna, Lebanon, Lehigh, Luzerne, Lycoming, Mifflin, Monroe, Montour, Northampton, Northumberland, Perry, Pike, Schuylkill, Snyder, Susquehanna, Tioga, Union, Washington, Wayne, Westmoreland, Wyoming and York.
Workers who have lost their source of income due to the flooding and who do not take advantage of the jobs program announced today may also be able to apply for state unemployment insurance benefits. To apply for assistance, workers should contact their nearest Career Link Center. To find the closest CareerLink Center, call 1-877-US2-JOBS or visit www.servicelocator.org.
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U.S. Labor Department releases are accessible on the Internet at http://www.dol.gov. The information in this news release will be made available in alternate format upon request (large print, Braille, audio tape or disc) from the COAST office. Please specify which news release when placing your request. Call (202) 693-7773 or TTY (202) 693-7755.
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