Benefits Will Aid Isabel's Unemployed
Release Date: October 6, 2003
Release Number: 1490-36
» More Information on North Carolina Hurricane Isabel
Raleigh, NC-Unemployment benefits are available for workers who were unemployed, or underemployed, because of Hurricane Isabel, federal and state disaster officials announced today.
The disaster unemployment program includes those who normally cannot get unemployment benefits, such as the self-employed, farmers and fishermen. However, they must register by October 23 (or, in some cases, November 3).
"Farmers and the self-employed are often the first to feel such losses," said Gracia Szczech of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the official in charge of federal recovery programs, "yet they are not eligible for state unemployment compensation. This program will help them, as well as the other unemployed, recover some of what they have lost."
Those registering for this assistance must have worked in one of the counties that were declared as part of the disaster area, though they may live outside the declared counties.
The self-employed must provide a copy of their 2002 tax return.
To register, workers who lost income should go to the nearest office of the Employment Security Commission, which administers the 26-week program for the state.
Applicants must document their pre-disaster employment and earnings at one of those state unemployment offices to determine if they are eligible.
The benefits are administered using the same procedures as the state unemployment program.
The first 26 counties to be declared were Beaufort, Bertie, Brunswick, Camden, Carteret, Chowan, Craven, Currituck, Dare, Edgecombe, Gates, Halifax, Hertford, Hyde, Jones, Martin, New Hanover, Northampton, Onslow, Pamlico, Pasquotank, Pender, Perquimans, Pitt, Tyrrell and Washington. Applicants who were employed in those counties must register with the unemployment office by October 23, 2003.
The next 10 counties that were added to the disaster area were Franklin, Granville, Greene, Lenoir, Nash, Person, Vance, Warren, Wayne and Wilson. Applicants who were employed in those counties must register with the unemployment office by November 3, 2003.
To apply for all other types of disaster assistance residents should register using FEMA's toll-free telephone number, 1-800-621-FEMA (3362). Individuals with hearing or speech impairments should call (TDD) 1-800-462-7585.
On March 1, 2003, FEMA became part of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. FEMA's continuing mission within the new department is to lead the effort to prepare the nation for all hazards and effectively manage federal response and recovery efforts following any national incident. FEMA also initiates proactive mitigation activities, trains first responders, and manages Citizen Corps, the National Flood Insurance Program and the U.S. Fire Administration.
Last Modified: Tuesday, 07-Oct-2003 07:53:23