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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE August 30, 2011 GRANT FUNDS WILL CLEAN-UP FLOOD DAMAGE & SUPPLY JOBS Federal grant funds have been secured in Guernsey County to clean-up flood damaged areas, while supplying local residents with temporary employment opportunities. The county will receive $409,648 in National Emergency Grant (NEG) funds issued by the U.S. Department of Labor to help the area recover from damage sustained during severe storms and flooding this past spring. In addition, these funds will permit the hiring of temporary workers to assist with humanitarian aid and clean-up activities on public lands that were damaged. “In a time when jobs are scarce and people need help, we couldn’t be happier to be part of a project like this,” says Guernsey County Department of Job and Family Services Director Kathy Jamiel. On July 13, the President declared a disaster in 21 counties in Ohio due to the storms and flooding, and in August, the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services received a Disaster NEG for up to $16.2 million to enable clean-up and debris removal in the affected counties. Guernsey was just one of 15 counties that were approved for the grant funds. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) surveyed the damage and approved the affected counties for public assistance. The NEG will be used to hire a crew of “long term” unemployed temporary workers to remove flood debris from land and waterways. “This grant will assist our area in two ways,” continued Jamiel. “The first is a prevention matter as clogged streams create a potential for future flooding.” “The second way is long term unemployed workers will have temporary work, while achieving more skills, which in turn, will assist them with marketability for future employment.” The grant will employ 13 workers, making between $10 and $12 an hour, and the cleaning of the creeks and streams will be taking place over the next 6 to 12 months. “Our expectation will be to keep our community posted on the progression of the efforts made with this grant,” says Jamiel. “Priorities are set for the county, and we will attempt to focus on as many areas as we can with the resources that we have been granted.”
Timothy Welch, Public Information Officer
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Guernsey County Department of Job & Family Services, Child Support Enforcement Agency
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