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Oregon Workers Receive $1.2 Million Grant

January 29th, 2008 Posted by Amelia

On January 22, the U.S. Department of Labor announced a grant of more than $1.2 million to benefit workers in Oregon who were affected by the December flooding and mudslides.

The $1,201,862 grant, with an initial release of $400,620, will go to the state of Oregon to create temporary jobs to assist in cleanup and recovery efforts.

The Northwest, including Washington, Oregon and the Canadian Province of British Columbia, was ravaged by a series of Pacific storms between December 1 and December 3, 2007. Winds as high as 139 miles per hour were reported on the Oregon coast and 18 deaths were blamed on the storm systems. Residents were evacuated by the Oregon National Guard. More than 36,000 customers were without power for up to one week.

“This $1.2 million grant will fund temporary jobs for Oregonians to assist in ongoing cleanup and recovery efforts in communities affected by the recent severe storms,” said Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao. “These funds can also be used to help provide humanitarian assistance such as food, clothing and shelter.”

On Dec. 8, 2007, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) declared nine Oregon counties as eligible for FEMA’s Public Assistance Program. The state targeted seven of those counties — Clatsop, Columbia, Lincoln, Polk, Tillamook, Washington and Yamhill — for assistance under this grant.

The grant, awarded to the Oregon Department of Community Colleges and Workforce Development, will provide temporary employment on projects related to the cleanup, demolition, repair, renovation and reconstruction of damaged or destroyed public structures, facilities and lands within affected communities. Funds may also be used for projects that provide food, clothing, shelter and other types of humanitarian assistance for disaster victims.

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 applying for emergency grants, visit www.doleta.gov/NEG.

Prior emergency grants have been awarded to Washington state to help residents of that state after the December floods.

On January 8, the U.S. Department of Labor announced a grant of $2.1 million to aid unemployed workers in Washington.

On Dec. 8, 2007, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) declared the Washington counties of Grays Harbor, Kitsap, Lewis, Mason, Pacific and Thurston eligible for FEMA’s Public Assistance Program.

The grant, which is awarded to the Washington State Employment Security Department, will provide workers affected by the recent storms with temporary jobs on projects related to the cleanup, demolition, repair, renovation and reconstruction of destroyed public structures, facilities and lands within the affected communities. Funds will also be used for projects that provide food, clothing, shelter and other types of humanitarian assistance for disaster victims.

According to the U.S. Department of Labor, National Emergency Grants (NEG) are discretionary awards by the Secretary of Labor. The grants temporarily expand service capacity at the state and local levels through time-limited funding assistance in response to “significant dislocation events.” When a layoff, plant closing or other event creates a need beyond what the state can reasonably be expected to meet, the state may apply for an Emergency Grant. In order for a state to qualify, any discretionary funds available at the state level must be included in the state’s resources.

Grants are given for different purposes. Disaster grants benefit areas afflicted by floods, wildfires, blizzards, hurricanes, earthquakes and other natural disasters. Other grants include Trade-WIA Dual Enrollment grants and Trade-Health Coverage Infrastructure grants.

This was just the most recent of a series of National Emergency Grants awarded by Labor Secretary Elaine L. Chao. In September 2007, a grant of almost $1.1 million was awarded to Missouri workers who were displaced with the closure of the O’Sullivan Industries plant in Lamar, Missouri. In addition, a $250,000 grant was awarded to a new program, SI WORKS, designed to improve worker opportunities and economic development in 20 southern Illinois counties.

Also in September, a $3 million grant went to provide temporary jobs and benefits to workers in parts of Minnesota ravaged by flash floods.

More than 400 workers laid off by Micron Technology, Inc. in Boise, Idaho received assistance through a grant of more than $2 million. The U.S. Department of Labor immediately released $847,538 of the grant to assist workers dislocated by the layoffs. The total grant is for $2,010,277.