Help for businesses: Disaster unemployment assistance is now available to businesses, including self-employed workers, affected in the 12 parishes included in President Barack Obama’s federal disaster declaration following south Louisiana’s massive flooding, the Louisiana Workforce Commission says. Applications for the assistance will be accepted up until Sept. 15. Applicants must submit their Social Security number, check stubs and documentation to support the claim that they were working or self-employed when the disaster occurred. The assistance is available for weeks of unemployment beginning Aug. 14 and up to Feb. 18, as long as the individual’s unemployment continues because of the disaster, LWC says in a news release. Visit laworks.net for more information how to file an application and to see if your business qualifies for the assistance, or call 1-866-783-5567 Tuesday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Due to high call volume at this time, applicants are encouraged to apply online first.
Checking it out: EATEL says its core voice infrastructure and data networks running through East Baton Rouge and Ascension parishes are intact following the flooding in south Louisiana, but technicians are actively working to assess any possible damage to business or residential communication services, the company says in a news release. The Gonzales-based telecommunications firm says its Venyu Data Centers are fully operational at this time. However, if anybody’s services have been affected, they can call 1-225-214-3800 for business services and 1-225-621-4300 for residential services, or visit eatel.com. As reported yesterday, a number of other Baton Rouge IT firms are offering assistance to businesses, either free or at a discounted rate.
The song remains the same: U.S. consumer prices were unchanged in July on falling gasoline costs, but solid gains in industrial output and home building suggested a pickup in economic activity that could allow the Federal Reserve to raise interest rates this year. Reuters reports that today’s mixed news came as influential New York Fed President William Dudley says the U.S. central bank could hike rates next month, citing a tightening labor market that he says was starting to spur faster wage growth. “The strong housing starts and industrial output performance will bolster the Fed confidence that growth momentum has rebounded, potentially supporting the bias for a near-term hike,” says Millan Mulraine, deputy chief economist at TD Securities in New York. “Nevertheless, with inflation continuing to miss to the downside, the case for caution remains strong.” July’s flat reading in the Consumer Price Index was the weakest since February and followed two straight monthly increases of 0.2%. In the 12 months through July, the CPI rose 0.8% after increasing 1.0% in June. Read the full story.
