U.S. Department of Labor Awards National Dislocated Worker Grant for Disaster Response after Severe Storms and Flooding in Arkansas

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Labor today approved Disaster Recovery National Dislocated Worker Grant (DWG) funding of up to $5,411,294, with $1,803,765 released initially, for the Arkansas Department of Workforce Services. This funding assists with the assessment of workforce needs in response to the storms and flooding of May 2019. 

These severe storms and flooding began on May 21, 2019, impacting counties across the midsection of Arkansas. A disaster declaration from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) followed in June 2019, which allows the state to request DWG funding to assist with cleanup and recovery efforts in the following counties declared eligible for FEMA’s Public Assistance Program: Arkansas, Chicot, Conway, Crawford, Desha, Faulkner, Franklin, Jefferson, Johnson, Lincoln, Logan, Perry, Pope, Pulaski, Sebastian, and Yell.

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.

The mission of the Department of Labor is to foster, promote, and develop the welfare of the wage earners, job seekers, and retirees of the United States; improve working conditions; advance opportunities for profitable employment; and assure work-related benefits and rights.