b'Responding quickly, our investigators were on theHow We Can Help When Naturalground to ensure that workers who were engaged Disasters Strikeinclean-upandreconstructionreceivedtheirFiled in By: Matt JacksonSeptember 6, 2022 correct wages and benefits.In 2022, the Federal Emergency Management Agency has declared over 60 natural disasters across the United States. Deadly fires in the West and Southwest, flooding in Puerto Rico, Kentucky, Minnesota and Alaska, water supply crises inMississippi and the U.S. Virgin Islands, and severe seasonal storms have left no region of the country unaffected by natural disaster. Disasters often impair infrastructure and access to vital resources just when communities need them most. Understandably, the response is all hands-on deck, as communities attempt to limit injuryLate last year, a devastating EF4 tornado swept across western Kentucky, destroying everything in its 128-mile path. This and damage and then repair and rebuild.Wage and Hour Division team responded. As we commemorate National PreparednessOur staff held impromptu training events for employers Month, the Wage and Hour Division urges about federal labor laws to help them prevent costlyemployers, workers and other stakeholders toviolations and ensure compliance. Investigators conduct-plan ahead, use our online natural disaster ed interviews in heated camping tents to determine the recovery resources, and know your rights and nature of work performed and how workers were compen-responsibilities. Top three things to know:sated.To reach as many workers as possible, billboards along 1.Paychecks are due on the regular paydaymajor highways in and out of Mayfield let workers and 2.Employers cannot classify workers who are notemployers know the Wage and Hour Division was working in business for themselves as independentto get wages paid and available to answer questions. contractorsInvestigations found violations of the prevailing wage3.Workers on federally funded/assisted projectsrequirements of the Davis-Bacon Act, and recovered over must receive prevailing wages and fringe $54,000 in back wages for the hard-working men and benefitswomen rebuilding the Mayfield communityWorkers like Travis, a disaster cleanup worker from Mobile, Alabama. When facilities are damaged or destroyed, work records may be compromised or unobtainableFor more information about your rights and responsibili-leading to missed payrolls. During the responseties during a natural disaster visit our online naturaland rebuilding phases of storm recovery, govern- disaster recovery resources. Also, find more information ment contracts may be quickly filled. The require- about the Fair Labor Standards Act or the Davis-Bacon Act, visit our website or call us confidentially. We can ments associated with federal contracts, such asspeak with callers in more than 200 languages through the the payment of prevailing wages and benefits,agencys toll-free helpline at 866-4US-WAGE (487-9243).may not get adequate attention, leading to federal labor violations.While the need for swift action is clear, it cannot come at the expense of workers who are relying on a paycheck and other workplace protections. As the victims of a 2021 tornado in Kentuckydiscovered, U.S. Department of Labors Wage and Hour Division is on the ground before, during and after a crisis to provide compliance assistance and safeguard workers rights. The town of Mayfield, Kentucky, was in the direct path of this powerful force of nature. TheDivisions Louisville District Office staff travelled to Mayfield and witnessed the destruction leftbehind.Storm damage from Mayfield, Kentucky 9'