WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced a grant of $660,000 to South Dakota to create approximately 50 temporary jobs to assist in cleanup and recovery efforts in areas affected by severe storms, tornadoes and flooding.

“Several counties in South Dakota were affected by these storms and need help to clean up and repair damage,” said Assistant Secretary of Labor for Employment and Training Emily Stover DeRocco.  “This grant will offer workers who lost their jobs an opportunity to lend assistance to damaged areas while earning a steady paycheck.”

On May 22, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) declared the following counties eligible for public assistance: Aurora, Beadle, Bon Homme, Brown, Brule, Buffalo, Clark, Day, Hanson, Hutchinson, Jackson, Jerauld, Kingsbury, Lake, Marshall, McCook, Miner, Roberts, Sanborn, Spink, Tripp and Yankton.  Also declared eligible were the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, Crow Creek Indian Reservation and those portions of the Sisseton Wahpeton Indian Oyate which lie within the designated counties.

The grant, awarded to the South Dakota Department of Labor, will be used for temporary employment on projects that assist with cleanup and provide food, clothing, shelter and other supportive services for disaster victims.  Workers eligible to apply for these jobs include those dislocated as a result of the storms, tornadoes and flooding, other dislocated workers, and the long-term unemployed.

Individuals in need of information on services available for victims of this disaster can call the toll-free South Dakota Disaster Victim Hotline at (866) 737-8998.

National Emergency Grants are part of the secretary of labor’s discretionary fund and are awarded based on a state’s ability to meet specific guidelines.

For more information on National Emergency Grants and other Department of Labor employment and training programs, please visit www.doleta.gov/NEG.