Disaster Unemployment Assistance Available For San Luis Obispo Victims
Release Date: January 30, 2004
Release Number: 1505-009
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SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. - Federal and state disaster officials urge individuals in San Luis Obispo County whose work was interrupted by the San Simeon earthquake on December 22, 2003, and who are not eligible for or have exhausted regular unemployment benefits to apply for federal Disaster Unemployment Assistance (DUA).
"The DUA program provides weekly benefit payments to those people out of work due to the disaster," said federal coordinating officer Peter Martinasco of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). "It's an emergency benefit funded entirely by the federal government and available to self-employed and others not normally covered under regular unemployment insurance programs."
FEMA has made funds available for DUA through the California Employment Development Department (EDD) to residents of San Luis Obispo County.
"The application deadline for DUA is February 20, so it's important that people who think they may be eligible apply now," said Dallas Jones, director of the California Governor's Office of Emergency Services (OES) and the state coordinating officer for earthquake disaster recovery.
Anyone in San Luis Obispo County whose work was interrupted by the earthquake can apply for DUA until February 20, 2004, by calling one of the following numbers:
English (800) 300-5616
Spanish (800) 326-8937
Cantonese (800) 547-3506
Vietnamese (800) 547-2058
TTY (800) 815-9387
Outside California (800) 250-3913
DUA benefits pay up to $119 per week for up to 26 weeks, except for self-employed individuals. Self-employed individuals may receive a DUA benefit payment of up to $370 per week for up to 26 weeks, and should be prepared to provide tax returns, business records, affidavits from individuals having knowledge of their business, or any other evidence to verify self-employment.
Additional information is available at the nearest state California Employment Development Department (EDD) office or at the federal/state Disaster Recovery Centers in San Luis Obispo County. To find the nearest EDD location, please check the state government listing in the front of your telephone directory (under Employment Development Department) or visit EDD's Web site at www.edd.ca.gov.
OES coordinates overall state agency response to major disasters in support of local government. The office is responsible for ensuring California's readiness to respond to and recover from natural, manmade and war-caused emergencies and for assisting local governments in their emergency preparedness, response, mitigation and recovery efforts.
The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) is the federal government's primary source of money for the long-term rebuilding of disaster-damaged private property. SBA helps homeowners, renters, businesses of all sizes, and private non-profit organizations fund repairs or rebuilding efforts, and cover the cost of replacing lost or disaster-damaged personal property. These disaster loans cover uninsured and uncompensated losses and do not duplicate benefits of other agencies or organizations.
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 the National Flood Insurance Program and the U.S. Fire Administration.
Last Modified: Monday, 02-Feb-2004 10:26:39