Unemployment help extended through Oct. 31

Those affected by Irma can apply

Workers and the self-employed who lost income due to Hurricane Irma’s damage in Florida now may apply for disaster unemployment assistance through Oct. 31.

The deadline was extended more than two weeks by Florida’s Department of Economic Opportunity. Eligible residents are those who are not able to work or provide services because of physical damage or destruction to their place of employment as a result of the hurricane.

The original deadline to apply was Oct. 16.

So far, more than 25,000 disaster unemployment claims have been submitted to DEO, the state agency said. Of those, 44 percent were in South Florida, including Monroe County, where the hurricane made landfall. There have been 2,700 applications in Broward County, nearly 4,500 in Miami-Dade, 1,200 in Palm Beach County and nearly 2,700 in Monroe County, according to DEO.

One reason claims are high in South Florida is that the region has a high number of hourly workers in restaurants and other hospitality jobs, said Mason Jackson, president of CareerSource Broward. Hourly wages don’t have to be paid when a business is closed because of a disaster.

Those approved for disaster unemployment assistance receive the standard unemployment amount from the state, up to $275 a week. Applicants can’t already be collecting regular unemployment benefits.

Applicants need to establish that the work or selfemployment was their principal source of income or that they became the bread-