US Department of Labor awards $2.8M in initial funding to support disaster recovery in response to California severe winter storms

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced an initial award of $2.8 million to California in dislocated worker grant funding to support cleanup and recovery activities in eight counties in response to severe winter storms the state experienced between Jan. 31, 2024, and Feb. 9, 2024.

The storms caused river and urban flooding, mud and landslides, sinkhole formations, downed trees and damaged roadways, bridges and levee systems, as well as damage to public and private lands.

On April 13, 2024, the Federal Emergency Management Agency issued a major disaster declaration enabling the state to request federal assistance for recovery efforts in Butte, Glenn, Los Angeles, Monterey, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Santa Cruz, Sutter and Ventura counties.  

The National Dislocated Worker Grant of up to $5.7 million allows the California Employment Development Department to provide people with temporary cleanup and recovery jobs.

The department’s Employment and Training Administration oversees National Dislocated Worker Grants, which expand the service capacity of dislocated worker programs at the state and local levels by providing funding assistance in response to large, unexpected economic events that lead to significant job losses.