Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced on Sunday that New York State received a $27 million federal grant that will be used to put more than 5,000 unemployed workers on the job of cleaning up after Superstorm Sandy.
“As New York State begins to rebuild and clean-up after the incredible destruction caused by Hurricane Sandy, the enormous amount of work to be done gives us a chance to provide young and unemployed New Yorkers with job opportunities cleaning up their communities ,” Governor Cuomo said in a statement. “This funding will not only provide young people and the unemployed with the opportunity to participate in cleaning up and rebuilding communities devastated by the storm, but it will provide valuable work experience and on-the-job training that can be useful in future careers."
“One of the ways we can help New York recover is to engage New Yorkers themselves in rebuilding their communities,” Federal Coordinating Officer Michael F. Byrne said in a statement. “We will have a stronger recovery by having employees who are personally vested in its success.”
The funding comes from a National Emergency Grant, and will be transferred to the hardest hit communities so they can quickly build a workforce to tackle the large-scale restoration efforts. The State Department of Labor will be administering the funds to eligible counties (including Nassau and Suffolk) and will work with county officials and agencies to identify areas that need assistance, as well as assigning workers to those areas.
Cuomo has also partnered with the Federal Emergency Management Agency to create a program which will replace out-of-state FEMA workers with New Yorkers. The program’s goal is to hire over 700 New Yorkers to fill vacant positions.
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