In the aftermath of Hurricane Matthew, 23 North Carolina counties have been approved to receive federal Disaster Unemployment Assistance. Gov. Pat McCrory has directed the state Department of Employment Security not to enforce the one-week waiting period that normally applies to unemployment claims.

The eligible counties are as follows: Beaufort, Bertie, Bladen, Columbus, Cumberland, Dare, Duplin, Edgecombe, Gates, Greene, Harnett, Hoke, Hyde, Johnston, Jones, Lenoir, Nash, Pender, Pitt, Robeson, Sampson, Wayne, and Wilson.

Here are a press release from the DES and DUA FAQs.

Thanks very much to John Hoomani, chief counsel of the DES, and to Jessica Leaven, chair of the Labor and Employment Section of the North Carolina Bar Association, for sharing this information.

(If DUA is available in counties of other states affected by the hurricane, please let me know. I'll add your information to this post.)