El Paso Mobile Workforce Unit, Staffers Being Sent To Louisiana

Workforce Solutions Upper Rio Grande has been activated by the Texas Workforce Commission (TWC) to assist with the response to the damage caused by the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

Two staff and the mobile unit will be leaving Saturday morning and will be stationed in Cutoff, Louisiana starting Monday.

“We are always ready to assist in instances like this,” said Workforce Solutions Upper Rio Grande CEO Lorenzo Reyes, Jr. “We are grateful to have staff that are committed to helping people in need and are ready to adjust their schedules and family life to help others.”

The Workforce Solutions Upper Rio Grande mobile unit is one of only five that exists among the 28 Boards in the Texas Workforce Commission and one of three so far activated to aid in this disaster. It is equipped with ten computers and a satellite for internet connectivity. In this effort, it will be used to assist those affected by the oil spill with filing for Unemployment Insurance; referrals to food, lodging, social service and charitable agencies and the BP Claims Office and Information Center.

The mobile unit will also be open to staff from other agencies for internet access and mental health counseling. Locally, the unit typically assists by providing mobile career and rapid response services.

This isn’t the first time the Workforce Solutions Upper Rio Grande Mobile Unit has been activated during a disaster recovery effort. In September 2005, staff and the mobile unit assisted in recovery efforts for hurricanes Rita and Katrina and in September 2008, the unit and staff assisted in the recovery effort following Hurricane Gustav.