A dozen Kauaians will be among about 250 out-of-work Hawai’i residents who will soon be employed thanks to the Emergency Environmental Workforce. The program, which Governor Ben Cayetano signed into law Nov. 21, is part of the economic relief approved
A dozen Kauaians will be among about 250 out-of-work Hawai’i residents who will soon be employed thanks to the Emergency Environmental Workforce.
The program, which Governor Ben Cayetano signed into law Nov. 21, is part of the economic relief approved during the Legislature’s third special session after the Sept. 11 tragedy.
The Emergency Workforce Act grants funds to the Research Corporation of the University of Hawai’i (RCUH) to hire between 220 and 250 people to work throughout the state for a 90-day period.
The $1.5 million appropriation for the program will pay for folks to help eradicate invasive plants affecting indigenous vegetation and help stop the spread of dengue fever.
RCUH worked closely with mayors statewide, including Kaua’i County’s Maryanne Kusaka, to come up with the program. Its goal, besides the environmental efforts, is to employ individuals adversely affected by the economic impact of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
Twelve Kaua’i residents are among those hired by RCUH.
“Of course I’m pleased that 12 people of Kaua’i are now employed under this program, and we’re able to better address several serious environmental hazards as a result,” Kusaka said.
She said she’d hoped the jobs would be available for Kauaians working in the visitor industry who lost their jobs. “However, they require special skills that most hospitality workers don’t possess. Nevertheless, it’s putting people to work, and that’s a good thing,” Kusaka said.
Additional recruitment to augment those recently hired is being planned, according to RCUH officials.
Meanwhile, the state Department of Health has reported two more possible cases of dengue fever on Maui. This brings to 95 the number of cases of the mosquito-borne virus statewide. Seventy of the cases are on Maui, including 60 in the Hana area. Twenty-one cases have been confirmed on Oahu and four on Kaua’i.
The two latest cases, which haven’t been confirmed through laboratory tests, delay the state’s effort to declare itself dengue-free. That declaration requires at least six weeks in which there are no confirmed cases of dengue fever, health officials said.
The health department is trying to stop the spread of dengue by encouraging residents to get rid of standing water around their homes, which is where mosquitos lay their eggs.
Staff writer Dennis Wilken can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 252) and mailto:dwilken@pulitzer.net. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
