U.S. Department of Labor approves additional disaster relief for Hurricane Harvey recovery

The U.S. Department of Labor has approved additional funding for the Disaster Recovery National Dislocated Worker Grant (DWG) awarded to the Texas Workforce Commission in response to Hurricane Harvey.

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Hurricane Harvey made landfall along the Texas coast on August 25, 2017. The Category 4 hurricane brought devastation to 19 Texas counties. 

After a major disaster declaration from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the Department of Labor awarded $10 million to assist with cleanup efforts, even as rainfall and flooding continued.

In September 2017, the department awarded an additional $20 million.

The latest funding approved this week brings the total awards to $35 million.

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Supported by the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act of 2014, DWGs “temporarily expand the service capacity of dislocated worker training and employment programs at the state and local levels by providing funding assistance in response to large, unexpected economic events that cause significant job losses,” according to the Department of Labor.

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