Katrina's Impact Still Being Felt

September 29, 2005

It's been about a month since Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast.

But the impact is still being felt, as the number of Americans who are out of work as a result of the catastrophe jumped by an additional 60,000 last week with the total looking for unemployment benefits due to the storm reaching 279,000.

The overall number includes a revised total of 108,000 claims filed two weeks ago, up from an original amount of 103,000 claims. The number of claims had totaled 20,000 and 91,000 during the first two weeks after the storm hit.

Katrina could eliminate 400,000 positions during the last four months of 2005, according to the Congressional Budget Office. However, it has been reported that some economists have said that as many as 500,000 workers could lose their jobs due to Katrina.

By Glenn J. Kalinoski, Executive Editor, Customer Inter@ction Solutions