labor lawAdivision of labor law center

With 2 major hurricanes affecting the Gulf Coast in just 11 days, the US Department of Labor personnel is stretched thin, but responding to demands for assistance, thanks to volunteers from Alabama, Montana, New Mexico, Ohio, South Dakota and Utah.

Initially volunteers from Texas traveled to Louisiana to assist survivors of Hurricane Gustav.  

However, as Hurricane Ike pummeled the Texas coast just days later, most of them returned to their home state to aid in recovery efforts there.

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 Hurricane Gustav or facing the prospect of hurricane-related weather in the near future, according to the agency.

“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 went into service in southern Louisiana on Friday, Sept 5. Additional mobile units stand ready or are deployed in states across the Southeast.

The federal agency also made Disability Program Navigators available in New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Houma, Shreveport and other locations in Louisiana.  Disability Program Navigators are specialists who connect persons with disabilities to employment opportunities and government services.

Most of the volunteers will assist in handling a 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 or Hurricane Ike, 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.

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