April 13, 2012

Manchin, Rockefeller, Rahall Announce More Than $514,000 to Create Jobs to Clean Up Storm Damage

Workforce West Virginia will create 65 jobs to assist in the recovery efforts from March storms

Washington, D.C. —  U.S. Senators Joe Manchin and Jay Rockefeller, along with Congressman Nick Rahall (all D-W.Va.), announced today that Workforce West Virginia will receive more than $514,000 in funding through the Department of Labor’s National Emergency Grant program. The funds will go toward creating 65 temporary jobs for eligible dislocated workers to help in the cleanup and recovery efforts from the devastating storms that hit areas across West Virginia in March. This grant will cover the counties of Harrison, Lincoln, Logan, Marion, Mingo, Taylor and Wayne that were targeted by the storms.

“There’s nothing that makes more common sense than hiring people who were affected by these storms to help clean up the damage,” Senator Manchin said. “When I toured these areas, West Virginians were already hard at work rebuilding their lives and their communities and I hope that this will help the rebuilding process go even faster.”

“This funding is a win-win for West Virginia and its workers. The devastation from the severe storms that hit communities across West Virginia earlier this year is heartbreaking,” Rockefeller said. “But this funding can help with ongoing cleanup and recovery efforts, which are essential for these areas get back to normal and move forward, while also hiring jobless workers who have been hit hard by the tough economy.  My thoughts and prayers continue to be with all of the families and businesses recovering from the aftermath of these terrible storms.”

“Speeding the cleanup by putting those affected by the disaster to work serves a dual purpose. It’s a practical partnership and makes a wise federal investment in hard hit areas,” said Rahall. “Families and business people I met with when I surveyed the damage were more than eager to get back to home life and business. Everyone I talked with had a well-placed faith, not only in the Almighty, but in their neighbors and their love of their community.” 

According to the Department of Labor, these funds will also be used to:

  • Provide temporary employment on projects to assist with cleanup, demolition, repair, renovation, and reconstruction of destroyed public structures, facilities, and lands within the affected communities, as well as the delivery of humanitarian aid, and safety assistance, as needed;
  • Provide core, intensive, and retraining services upon completion of the temporary jobs component for participants for whom work is not available;
  • Perform work on the homes of economically disadvantaged individuals who are eligible for the federally-funded weatherization program, with priority given to services for the elderly and individuals with disabilities.

###