US Department of Labor awards $800K in funding for disaster recovery, employment, training services in Georgia after Hurricane Debby

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced an initial $800,000 emergency grant award to help fund Georgia’s cleanup and recovery activities in 33 counties following Hurricane Debby. The grant will also enable the state to provide employment and training services to people in the affected communities.

On Aug. 5, 2024, Hurricane Debby made landfall as a Category 1 storm near Steinhatchee, Florida, and moved through southeastern Georgia as a tropical storm. Debby caused significant infrastructure damage in Georgia, blocking and collapsing many roads, destroying public facilities and denying access to local businesses. 

The Federal Emergency Management Agency issued an emergency declaration, enabling Georgia to request federal assistance for recovery efforts in the following counties: Bryan, Bulloch, Camden, Candler, Chatham, Colquitt, Decatur, Dodge, Echols, Effingham, Emanuel, Evans, Glynn, Grady, Jeff Davis, Johnson, Laurens, Liberty, Long, McIntosh, Mitchell, Montgomery, Screven, Tattnall, Telfair, Thomas, Tift, Toombs, Treutlen, Wayne, Wheeler, Wilcox and Worth.

Overseen by the department’s Employment and Training Administration, this National Dislocated Worker Grant of up to $1.5 million allows the Technical College System of Georgia to provide people with temporary cleanup and recovery jobs. The grant will also provide those in the affected communities with training and employment services.

Dislocated Worker Grants are supported by the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act of 2014 and temporarily 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.