New York State Creating 5,000 Temporary Jobs in Storm-Stricken Areas by Thomas Kaplan

New York State will hire more than 5,000 unemployed residents in temporary positions to help clean up debris and distribute supplies in areas stricken by Hurricane Sandy, the Cuomo administration announced on Sunday.

The jobs will pay roughly $15 an hour and could last as long as six months. They will be available to residents in the communities that were most affected by the storm, including areas of New York City, Long Island and the Lower Hudson Valley.

State officials said that hiring would be focused on young people as well as the long-term unemployed, and that the positions would be financed by a grant of nearly $28 million from the federal government. 

“The enormous amount of work to be done gives us a chance to provide young and unemployed New Yorkers with job opportunities cleaning up their communities,” Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo said in a statement.

Mr. Cuomo, a Democrat, added that the jobs would “provide valuable work experience and on-the-job training that can be useful in future careers.”

To be eligible for the positions, prospective workers must be unemployed, at least 18 and live on Long Island, in the five boroughs of New York City or in Orange, Putnam, Rockland, Sullivan, Ulster or Westchester Counties. Residents can apply for jobs by calling 1-888-469-7365 or by filling out an online form.

The state labor commissioner, Peter M. Rivera, said on Sunday that 800 people had already signed up for temporary jobs as part of the program. Some were scheduled to begin working as early as Monday.

“We need to get the word out as quickly as we can,” Mr. Rivera said.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency is also starting a separate program to hire New Yorkers to replace agency employees, many of them from out of state, who have been working in the region since the hurricane struck. The agency said Sunday that upward of 700 positions would be available as part of its program.

http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/11/25/new-york-state-creating-5000-temporary-jobs-in-storm-stricken-areas/