Located in:
- Program-specific Requirements for Adult, Dislocated Worker, and Youth Activities under Title I-B
The Unified or Combined State Plan must include the following with respect to activities carried out under subtitle B—
a. 2. D. Describe the State policies and procedures to provide Rapid Responses in cases of natural disasters including coordination with FEMA and other entities.
Current Narrative:
D. The state pursues opportunities for assistance through Natural Disaster Emergency Grants. The Office of Workforce Development (OWD) consults and coordinates with State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), the local workforce boards and local elected officials in designing these grants and for implementation.
Missouri operates a temporary employment program called Disaster Recovery Jobs Program (DRJP) to be utilized when a major disaster is declared by Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and a Dislocated Worker Grant (DWG) is awarded. The purpose of the DRJP is to restore public infrastructure and services so business and employment activities can resume through temporary employment of unemployed persons.
OWD is required to coordinate with FEMA when there is a dislocation event that is the result of a natural disaster in order to avoid any duplication of services or effort. Local offices invite FEMA representatives to early intervention meetings discussing the potential worksites. DRJP work will not overlap FEMA cleanup efforts. The best practice is to allow FEMA to complete all work prior to DRJP employment cleanup begins.
Following state policies regarding rapid response activities (Issuance 18-2020), community development specialists provide on-site or in-person services to any layoff affecting 25 or more individuals. Layoffs affecting 24 or less may be offered on-site services as needed or requested by the employer. Rapid response activities in Missouri provide emergency assistance that is adapted to a particular layoff or disaster event. Additional assistance will be provided to Local Workforce Development Areas (LWDA) that experience disasters or dislocation events that exceed the capacity of the LWDA’s resources.