Meck County residents eligible for unemployment help from Helene

MECKLENBURG COUNTY, N.C. ( QUEEN CITY NEWS ) — Residents in Mecklenburg County who can’t continue working due to Hurricane Helene can now file a Disaster Unemployment Assistance (DUA) application, according to the Division of Employment Security (DES).

Those who need this help must apply by December 9, 2024.

People and business owners must meet the following criteria to be eligible for benefits:

• No longer have the job that provided their primary source of income
• Are unable to reach their place of unemployment
• Cannot work because of an injury caused by the storm
• Were unable to begin employment or self-employment due to the storm
• Have become the major supplier of household income due to a storm-related death of the previous major supplier of household income

Officials say those impacted must first need to file for state unemployment benefits. People may be eligible for a DUA claim if they are ineligible for state unemployment or have exhausted their state benefits.

You will need the following to file for unemployment:

• Name and address of all employers you worked with within the last 24 months
• County of residence
• County of employment
• Mailing address and zip code
• Valid telephone number
• Your Social Security number or your Alien Registration number
• Have proof of employment and income if you’re self-employed, a farmer, or a commercial fisher

The other 26 counties eligible for assistance are Alexander, Alleghany, Ashe, Avery, Buncombe, Burke, Caldwell, Catawba, Clay, Cleveland, Gaston, Haywood, Henderson, Jackson, Lincoln, Macon, Madison, McDowell, Mitchell, Polk, Rutherford, Swain, Transylvania, Watauga, Wilkes, and Yancey as well as the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians of North Carolina. Additional counties may be added to the list of those eligible for DUA at a later date.

Claims are filed through the DES website . If you are not able to file through the website, you can call the DUA Hotline at 919-629-3857 to apply for benefits.

For more information and an updated list of approved counties, click here .

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