Sep-02-11 CHRISTIE ADMINISTRATION HELPS EMPLOYERS AND THEIR WORKERS NAVIGATE HURRICANE IRENE
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 -News Release- |
“Hurricane Irene impacted business centers, communities and families that were already hard hit by the recession. People need to know that the resources Governor Christie has put in place to rebuild our economy are also there to help workers and businesses recover from this natural disaster,” said Harold J. Wirths, Commissioner of the Department of Labor and Workforce Development.
A summary of these services include:
- Grant awards for businesses to assist with on-the-job training costs for new workers hired initially to assist in disaster-related activities such as landscaping and tree removal, construction, insurance claims, building supplies sales, materials transport, utility work, call and claims centers staffing, and infrastructure clearing and repair.
- Availability of the Business Resource Centers, conveniently co-located inside local One-Stop Career Centers across the state, as temporary hubs for businesses to access telephone and internet services as well as for job seekers and displaced workers seeking workforce development and unemployment assistance.
- Federal Disaster Unemployment Assistance (DUA). Funded by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the assistance is being administered by the LWD. Most people left unemployed by Hurricane Irene should file for regular unemployment benefits, but the DUA is available for people who temporarily lost jobs because of the disaster and who do not qualify for regular unemployment benefits, such as self-employed people.
- Dispatch of Rapid Response team members to identified Disaster Recovery Centers to assist displaced workers.
- Availability of services through New Jersey Youth Corps to assist non-profit, public and governmental entities in a variety of ways for disaster relief and clean-up. There are 6 New Jersey Youth Corps sites throughout the State that have equipment and Corps members trained and ready to respond to requests for brush clearing, tree removal, food distribution, assistance at shelters, and other related activities.
- Community Work Experience Participants (CWEPs) are available to assist non-profit, public and governmental entities in a variety of ways for disaster relief and clean-up.
CWEPs can provide non-profit and public sector employers with a flexible resource for assisting with the aftermath of Hurricane Irene. The CWEP program gives TANF recipients an opportunity to learn job skills in order to transition from public assistance to unsubsidized employment. CWEPs must work 35 hours per week. There is no cost to the employer and the CWEPs are covered by Workman’s Compensation. More information on the CWEP program is available from your County; click here for local contact information.
- The Entrepreneurial Training Program for the Unemployed (ETPU) provides unemployed workers the option of pursuing self-employment while supported by up to 26 weeks of benefits.
The information also may be found by clicking the “Hurricane Irene” button on the LWD homepage at http://lwd.dol.state.nj.us/.
