WASHINGTON, Sept. 19 – Vermont’s congressional delegation – Sens. Patrick Leahy (D) and Bernie Sanders (I) and Rep. Peter Welch (D) – today announced a $1.7 million grant to put unemployed Vermonters
to work helping clean up and recover from Tropical Storm Irene.

The Department of Labor grant will create 100 temporary jobs assisting with clean-up, demolition, repair, renovation, and reconstruction of destroyed public structures, facilities, and lands throughout Vermont’s 14 counties as well as to deliver humanitarian aid and safety assistance. Additionally, these funds can be used to perform work on the homes of economically disadvantaged individuals, with priority given to services for the elderly and individuals with disabilities.

“The physical damage caused by Tropical Storm Irene is immense. Less visible, however, is the human cost of Irene’s destructive path,” Vermont’s congressional delegation said in a statement. “Families have been displaced, businesses are shuttered and individuals are out of work. This grant, in the Vermont tradition, will put neighbors to work helping neighbors.”

The Vermont Department of Labor will be responsible for administering the grant and distributing the funds.