The U.S. Department of Labor has announced an additional $4 million in funding to aid Kentucky residents impacted by severe weather events over the past year. This funding is intended to support disaster-relief jobs and provide employment and training services for those affected.
The department had previously awarded Kentucky a National Dislocated Worker Emergency Grant of $1 million on June 18, 2025. This initial grant was used to begin relief activities in response to storms, straight-line winds, flooding, landslides, and mudslides that occurred between February and March 2025.
With the new award, the total funding rises to $5 million. The expanded grant will now cover all counties in Kentucky that were impacted by four more storms declared as disasters by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) between May 2024 and May 2025. In total, five FEMA declarations allow the state to seek federal recovery assistance for every one of its 120 counties.
According to the press release: “This Disaster Recovery National Dislocated Worker Grant allows the Kentucky Department of Workforce Development to provide residents with temporary jobs focused on cleanup and recovery efforts, as well as offer employment and training services to eligible participants in affected communities.”
The grants are supported under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act of 2014. National Dislocated Worker Grants are designed to give states or local boards extra resources when major economic disruptions lead to workforce needs beyond what current programs can address.
