US Department of Labor awards $4M in grant funding for Kentucky residents affected by severe storms

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today awarded an additional $4 million to help support continued disaster-relief jobs, as well as employment and training services for Kentucky residents suffering from the aftermath of severe storms over the past year. 

On June 18, 2025, the department awarded Kentucky a National Dislocated Worker Emergency Grant of $1,000,000 to start disaster relief activities as quickly as possible in response to severe storms, straight-line winds, flooding, landslides, and mudslides that occurred between February and March 2025. 

Today’s award will add $4 million to the existing grant and expand the service area to include all Kentucky counties impacted by four additional Federal Emergency Management Agency-declared severe storms that occurred between May 2024 and May 2025. Combined, the five FEMA declarations allow Kentucky to request federal assistance for recovery efforts in all 120 counties across the Commonwealth.

This Disaster Recovery National Dislocated Worker Grant allows the Kentucky Department of Workforce Development to provide residents with temporary jobs focused on cleanup and recovery efforts, as well as offer employment and training services to eligible participants in affected communities. 

Supported by the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act of 2014, National Dislocated Worker Grants provide a state or local board with funding for direct services and assistance in areas experiencing a major economic dislocation event that leads to workforce needs exceeding available resources.