News Release

Printer-Friendly Version

ETA News Release: [09/04/2008]
Contact Name: Terry Shawn or Jennifer Kaplan
Phone Number: (202) 693-4676 or x5052
Release Number: 08-1259-NAT

U.S. Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration deploys assets to respond to Gustav and the hurricane season

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Labor's Employment and Training Administration (ETA) and state and local workforce organizations have deployed personnel and a wide array of resources to assist workers affected by Gustav or facing the prospect of hurricane-related weather in the near future.

"We are working with our state and local workforce partners to speed the recovery time for the thousands of people whose employment may be affected by these storms," said Deputy Assistant Secretary for Employment and Training Brent R. Orrell. "We want those who are returning from evacuation sites to know that they can start applying for benefits and services as they return to their homes."

Five mobile One-Stop Career Center units from Louisiana and Texas are due to go into service in southern Louisiana on Friday. Additional mobile units stand ready or are deployed in states across the Southeast. Disability Program Navigators – specialists who connect persons with disabilities to employment opportunities and government services — are in New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Houma, Shreveport and other locations in Louisiana. Moreover, Alabama, Montana, New Mexico, Ohio, South Dakota, Texas and Utah have volunteered for stand-by status to assist in handling a potentially high volume of regular unemployment and Disaster Unemployment Assistance claims.

Anyone with questions relating to Department of Labor benefits and services, including those who have lost their jobs or businesses as the result of a natural disaster such as Hurricane Gustav, can obtain answers to specific questions by calling the department's toll-free helpline at 866-4-USA-DOL (487-2365). Operators also will be able to refer questions about wage-related, paycheck and safety issues to staff who can help directly or point callers in the right direction for more information.

More information about the Labor Department's hurricane recovery assistance services, including Disability Program Navigators, is available on the Internet at http://www.dol.gov/opa/hurricane-recovery2008.htm.