Flood Aid to Fund 100 Temporary Jobs

Ventura County residents left jobless by storm damage may soon have an opportunity to work temporarily.

Gov. Pete Wilson has earmarked $600,000 in U.S. Department of Labor emergency funding to provide about 100 jobs in the county that will pay $8 to $8.50 an hour.

The jobs, including positions in construction and clerical work, will last about six months.

Public works agencies responsible for storm cleanup want to hire displaced workers for tasks on public properties, said Tom Nikirk, manager of the county’s Workforce Development Division.

The director of the state’s Employment Development Department will brief city and county officials today about the funding.

People unemployed as a result of the floods will be the first to be hired. If there is any money left over, those who have been unemployed for 15 of the last 26 weeks or those eligible for Job Training Partnership Act Title III programs will be considered.

People who may be eligible should call (800) 500-7705 and ask about the Flood Assistance Program.

Agencies needing cleanup assistance that want to provide a work site should call 578-3654.

In the last month, more than 100 self-employed people have filed disaster-related unemployment claims with the county office of the Employment Development Department. Officials say it is difficult to track how many other people have lost jobs and filed claims because of the storms, but they did say they have been busier than usual.

After the 1995 storms, a $2.7-million grant provided 372 county residents with jobs.

Ventura County also will receive a $252,800 job-training grant from the state to help provide employment services to workers who lost their jobs during corporate layoffs and Navy base cuts. But the funding can also be used for farm workers who became unemployed as a result of this year’s storms, Employment Development Department officials said.

This grant will provide workers with career counseling, job search assistance, on-the-job training and occupational training in the classroom.