Thanks to a $1.8 million grant from the U.S. Department of Labor, those in Fairfield, Middlesex, New Haven and New London counties who’ve lost their jobs due to Hurricane Sandy can apply for a temporary job cleaning up after the super storm or performing other disaster-r elated work.
The DOL has given the Connecticut Department of Labor a National Emergency Grant that will fund about 120 temporary jobs for eligible dislocated workers in the coastal counties and on the Mashantucket Pequot Indian Reservation.
Besides cleaning up after Sandy, those hired under the emergency grant will also be involved in demolition, repair and reconstruction of destroyed public structures and the delivery of humanitarian aid. The federal grant can also be used to employ people to work on the homes of low-income residents who are eligible for federally funded weatherization programs.
Nancy Steffens, spokeswoman for the Connecticut DOL, said the jobs will pay $15 to $15.50 an hour and last about 20 weeks.
Beginning next week, interested applicants will be able to apply for the jobs electronically at the state DOL web sites and local recruitment fairs.
New York has received a similar emergency grant, in the amount of $27 million, to hire more than 5,000 displaced workers.