U.S. Department of Labor Announces Additional Disaster Relief Assistance to Texas for Hurricane Harvey Recovery

WASHINGTON, DC – 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.

On August 25, 2017, Hurricane Harvey made landfall along the eastern coast of Texas. The Category 4 hurricane brought high winds, heavy rainfall, and historic flooding to 19 counties. Following a major disaster declaration from the Federal Emergency Management Agency,the Department awarded $10,000,000 to assist with cleanup efforts, even as rainfall and flooding continued. As the catastrophic impact of the storm became apparent, the Department awarded an additional $20,000,000 in September 2017. This latest funding brings the total awards to $35,000,000.

Supported by the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act of 2014, Dislocated Worker Grants 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.