South Raleigh News

Residents in 39 counties affected by Hurricane Helene can now apply for temporary jobs through a program aimed at aiding recovery efforts. This initiative, announced by N.C. Department of Commerce Secretary Lee Lilley, expands the initial 25-county coverage declared in October.

“Hurricane Helene wreaked havoc on communities and devastated people’s livelihoods,” said Governor Josh Stein. “Unemployment in the west has spiked. This program will get folks back to work while helping their neighbors recover and rebuild.”

The program is supported by a $10 million Disaster Recovery Dislocated Worker Grant from the U.S. Department of Labor, requested by North Carolina's Division of Workforce Solutions (DWS).

Eligible counties include Alexander, Alleghany, Ashe, Avery, Buncombe, Burke, Cabarrus, Caldwell, Catawba, Cherokee, Clay, Cleveland, Forsyth, Gaston, Graham, Haywood, Henderson, Iredell, Jackson, Lee, Lincoln, Macon, Madison, McDowell, Mecklenburg, Mitchell, Nash, Polk, Rowan, Rutherford, Stanly, Surry Swain Transylvania Union Watauga Wilkes Yadkin and Yancey.

“Recovering from the devastating impact of Hurricane Helene is North Carolina’s top priority,” said Secretary Lee Lilley. “Through this grant program we are already placing workers in jobs that address storm damage and serve their communities.”

The two-year grant allows eligible residents to take up roles related to storm clean-up or humanitarian assistance. The Workforce Innovation & Opportunity Act supports these grants which provide temporary employment after significant job losses due to unforeseen events.

Examples include Springhouse Farm LLC in Watauga County and Haywood Waterways Association Inc., where workers have been hired for debris removal and waterway clean-up respectively.

Apart from temporary jobs this grant offers employment services and training opportunities at institutions like community colleges.

Eligibility criteria include being laid off due to the hurricane or meeting other specific conditions. Interested residents should contact their local NCWorks Career Center for application details available at www.ncworks.gov.

This project receives full funding from a Dislocated Worker Grant (DWG) by the Employment and Training Administration of the U.S. Department of Labor as part of an initial $10 million award to North Carolina.