Workforce Boulder County DNEG Program

About the Program

Category: Personnel Management, Employment and Training (Best in Category)

Year: 2015

Soon after the 2013 Flood, Workforce Boulder County acquired a Disaster National Emergency Grant (DNEG). The mission was two-fold, to provide temporary jobs for unemployed residents (outreach went to residents who had lost work due to flood) and to support Boulder County’s flood recovery projects for anyone dealing with effects of the flood. Through strong cross-departmental collaboration, Workforce coordinated a total of 5 flood recovery projects partnering with the Resource Conservation Division (RCD) and the Parks and Open Space (POS) Department. The DNEG funds also allowed for the case management of more than 500 flood survivors’ unmet needs at the Long Term Flood Recovery Group (LTFRG). By the end of 2014, Workforce provided temporary employment opportunities to more than 60 DNEG participants. The DNEG program provided support to many private property owners through the Flood Debris Cleanup (FDC) Program launched by RCD. The newly hired DNEG participants removed flood debris from nearly 80 private properties and removed more than 150 tons of flood debris. The DNEG also made a substantial contribution to the recovery of POS lands. The DNEG participants re-seeded approximately 65 acres of flood damaged areas. They also worked in the riparian restoration by removing noxious weeds. DNEG participants rebuilt fences, and pulled, bagged, and disposed of weeds which recolonized the flood impacted areas.