ATLANTA — State Labor Commissioner Mark Butler said Wednesday the Georgia Department of Labor (GDOL) and the Northwest Georgia Regional Commission Workforce Investment Board (WIB) have received a $5 million National Emergency Grant (NEG) to assist with cleanup and recovery efforts from severe storms that struck Georgia April 27-28.

The funds will be used to create temporary jobs for laid-off workers to assist in the recovery efforts, as well as human services staff to help those in the communities affected.

“Gov. Deal and I would like to thank Secretary Solis and the United States Department of Labor for all of their assistance after the devastating storm damage,” said Butler. “This grant will go a long way towards helping our recovery efforts in the affected counties in Georgia.”

The counties eligible for the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Emergency Public Assistance program are Bartow, Catoosa, Cherokee, Coweta, Dade, Floyd, Gordon, Greene, Harris, Heard, Jasper, Lamar, Lumpkin, Meriwether, Monroe, Morgan, Newton, Pickens, Polk, Rabun, Spalding, Troup, Walker and White.

The grant money will be used to hire and train laid-off workers to clean and repair public property. The grant will also be used to hire staff for public and nonprofit agencies helping in the relief effort, including public assistance agencies, as well as counselors to help the grieving and traumatized.

For more information, contact one of the following GDOL career centers: Rome, (706) 295-6051; Cartersville, (770) 387-3760; Cedartown, (770) 749-2213; Northwest Georgia, (706) 861-1990; Blue Ridge, (706) 632-2033; LaFayette, (706) 638-5525; Gainesville, (770) 535-5484; Habersham, (706) 776-0811; Cobb-Cherokee, (770) 528-6100; Griffin, (770) 228-7226; Newnan, (770) 254-7220; LaGrange, (706) 845-4000; Covington, (770) 784-2455; Athens, (706) 583-2550; Macon, (478) 751-6164, and Columbus, (706) 649-7423.