U.S. Department of Labor Awards Additional Disaster Recovery Funding To Northern Mariana Islands for Typhoons Mangkhut and Yutu Response

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced additional funding of $1,841,563 for a Disaster Recovery National Dislocated Worker Grant awarded to the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands Department of Labor - Workforce Investment Agency Division. The funds will allow grant participants to continue disaster-relief cleanup efforts resulting from Typhoons Mangkhut and Yutu, which occurred in September and October 2018, respectively. The funding will also provide employment and training services to eligible grant participants. 

In the aftermath of the typhoons, the Federal Emergency Management Agency issued major disaster declarations for each storm that enabled the Commonwealth to request federal assistance for storm recovery. In October 2018, the Department approved up to $2,762,345, with $920,782 awarded initially, to assist with cleanup and recovery efforts in three island municipalities included in the declarations: Rota, Saipan, and Tinian. Today’s award brings total funding for this project to the full approved amount.

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.