The U.S. Department of Labor has announced the approval of up to $10 million in initial emergency grant funding for North Carolina. This funding aims to support disaster-relief jobs and training services across 25 counties in response to Hurricane Helene.
Hurricane Helene, which made landfall on September 26, 2024, as a Category 4 storm in Florida, moved inland through Georgia and the Carolinas as a tropical storm. It caused severe flooding in North Carolina, marking the worst in a century with over 100 fatalities and extensive damage from mudslides and floodwaters. The storm left more than one million customers without power initially, with over 100,000 still affected more than a week later.
Assistant Secretary for Employment and Training José Javier Rodríguez stated, “The Employment and Training Administration is committed to ensuring workers in North Carolina affected by Hurricane Helene have access to grant funding and assistance.” He emphasized that the Dislocated Worker Grant would provide crucial support by offering jobs to affected workers while aiding North Carolina's recovery efforts.
Following an emergency declaration by the Federal Emergency Management Agency on September 26, 2024, and a major disaster declaration on September 28, federal assistance was requested for recovery efforts in the following counties: Alexander, Alleghany, Ashe, Avery, Buncombe, Burke, Caldwell, Catawba, Clay, Cleveland, Gaston, Haywood, Henderson, Jackson, Lincoln, Macon, Madison McDowell Mitchell Polk Rutherford Transylvania Watauga Wilkes Yancey.
The National Dislocated Worker Grant is supported by the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act of 2014. It enables the North Carolina Department of Commerce's Division of Workforce Solutions to offer temporary disaster-relief jobs focused on cleanup operations and humanitarian aid delivery for those displaced by Hurricane Helene. Additionally provides training services for individuals within these communities.
The department’s Employment and Training Administration manages National Dislocated Worker Grants which enhance state-level dislocated worker programs' service capacity through financial aid following significant economic disruptions leading to job losses.
