Plaintiffs' Personal Injury Law Firm

U.S. Department of Labor to Aid Louisiana from Hurricane Gustav

With the recent devastating effects from various hurricanes surrounding the South, Louisiana is yet again in dire need for assistance. The U.S. Department of Labor has revealed that they will give over $20 million dollars in aid to Louisiana. Hurricane Gustav has caused Louisiana to be in a national state of emergency, in which this money will be in the form of a grant to help workers who were harmed by the hurricane. Unfortunately this form of natural disaster is not new to the state of Louisiana, which has seen devastating effects from a multitude of hurricanes originating in 2005 from hurricane Katrina. The U.S. Department of Labor’s funds that are aiding the cause are going to be used to provide workers with temporary jobs to help clean up the area from hurricane Gustav. Other funds stemming from the same pot will go to provide inhabitants of the area with the basic needs of food, water, and shelter.

Earlier thus month the Federal Emergency Management Agency sited that over 3o parishes in the area of Louisiana that were hit by hurricane Gustav are eligible for the Public Assistance Program. “The grant, awarded to the Louisiana Workforce Commission, will provide funding for temporary employment on projects for the cleanup, demolition, repair, renovation and reconstruction of destroyed structures and public lands within the affected communities.” Workers in the area may also be eligible for unemployment benefits due to the recent occurrences. A little less than half of the $22 million dollars set to fund this program is going to be released immediately for emergency use, as the rest will be distributed hopefully within a month.

The happenings after the event of hurricane Gustav have shown that our government, especially the U.S. department of labor is responding to crises more efficiently. This is a situation where our labor laws are being flowed and everyone is benefiting the way they should be from the government. The U.S. department of labor is making sure that not only are they providing aid to the disaster, but also they are putting this aid into creating jobs. In creating jobs the government is not only providing employment to those who lost their jobs in the tragedy, but also committed to cleaning up the area as soon as possible. This natural disaster is unfortunate, but it also proves that our government has learned what works and what does not in a situation as this one. Jobs are being provided, clean up is being done, and people are more motivated and eager to get back on their feet as soon as possible.

However this type of funding and commitment does not occur and apply to all situations. There have been many instances of labor laws that have not come into effect, causing much harm to the victims. If you or a loved one has been harmed in an occurrence where labor laws have failed you, contact super lawyers at Napoli Bern Ripka, LLP.