The Governor of New York announced that New Yorkers who work and live there can apply for disaster unemployment benefits. Individuals can collect disaster assistance in the following cases:
- Injured in the disaster and unable to work, whether the person is an employee or self-employed.
- Workplace is damaged or destroyed; the person cannot work because of the disaster.
- Transportation to work is not available because of the disaster.
- Cannot get to work because individuals must travel through the affected area, which is impossible due to disaster.
- Planned to begin working but cannot because of the disaster.
- Derived most of income from areas affected by the disaster and business is closed or inoperable because of the disaster.
It is good to see that this type of financial assistance is available to individuals impacted by the hurricane. In many cases, these individuals were subject to circumstances beyond their control. Now, many will experience lost wages as a result. In Connecticut, residents of four counties and the Mashantucket Pequot Indian Reservation are eligible as well. New Jersey has also declared people in 10 counties eligible for disaster unemployment assistance. The working class has been impacted by this hurricane and their financial hardships will be addressed by all of the states impacted by Hurricane Sandy.