Labor Department Awards $1.6M to Continue to Support Hurricane Idalia Cleanup Efforts in Florida

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) awarded US$1.6 million in funds to support continued disaster-relief employment and workforce training for Florida residents as the state continues its Hurricane Idalia recovery.

On Sept. 18, 2023, the department announced a National Dislocated Worker Grant of up to $20 million–with an initial award of $6.6 million–to the Florida Department of Commerce to provide people with temporary employment focused on debris removal, water damage cleanup, and the delivery of humanitarian assistance to those affected by the storm, and for career and training services for affected workers.

Subsequently, the department announced an incremental award of $6.6 million and a third incremental award of $5 million. The department now has awarded the full amount of the approved funds.

On Aug. 30, 2023, Hurricane Idalia struck the northeastern Gulf Coast as a Category 3 storm, bringing strong winds, storm surges, and massive flooding to the region. The Federal Emergency Management Agency issued an emergency declaration on Aug. 28, 2023, and a major disaster declaration on Aug. 31, 2023, enabling the state to request federal assistance for recovery efforts.

Administered by the department’s Employment and Training Administration, and supported by the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act of 2014, National Dislocated Worker Grants provide funding assistance to temporarily expand the service capacity of dislocated worker programs at the state and local levels when large, unexpected economic events cause significant job losses.