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Thirty-four northern and central coast California counties will be sharing a $36 million National Dislocated Worker Grant (NDWG) from the U.S. Department of Labor to aid in the recovery and clean-up after this winter’s heavy rain and snow. The department announced it would provide up to $36 million to the California Economic Employment Development Department to help create temporary jobs for some 1,800 people to assist in the effort.
“This is a disaster-related grant,” said Joe Versen, a U.S. Department of Labor spokesman. “… they supply funding … specifically to create jobs — the disaster-related ones to help with cleanup and recovery following the storm.”
An initial $12 million of the grant was released late last week. The grant’s funds provide temporary employment for the damaged sustained from the storms that pounded the state from Jan. 3 through 12. The U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency made three major disaster declarations as result of these storms.
The funds being granted to California are for use in the following counties: Alameda, Amador, Butte, Calaveras, Contra Costa, El Dorado, Humboldt, Inyo, Lake, Lassen, Marin, Mendocino, Merced, Mono, Monterey, Napa, Nevada, Placer, Plumas, Sacramento, San Benito, San Luis Obispo, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Shasta, Sierra, Siskiyou, Solano, Sonoma, Sutter, Trinity, Tuolumne, Yolo and Yuba.
The NDWG program provides grants at the discretion of the secretary of labor under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act. Resources are provided to states and other eligible applicants to respond to large and unexpected events resulting in significant job losses.
After five-plus years of drought, the intense rain and snow caused not only flooding and mudslides but large numbers of downed trees and power lines, mass evacuations, damage to homes and businesses along with the destruction of roads, public parks and other infrastructure.
The grant’s funds will provide temporary employment on projects to assist with clean-up, demolition, repair, renovation and reconstruction of destroyed public structures, facilities and lands within the affected communities. Funds may also support the delivery of humanitarian aid and safety assistance as needed.
