The Department of Labor announced a Web site (KatrinaJobs) to connect Katrina victims with jobs either in the areas affected by the hurricane or in places where Katrina evacuees have relocated. As part of the America’s Job Bank, job seekers can look for jobs and employers can post jobs in a variety of categories, and in specific ZIP codes.
It’s the kind of tool/site I would have come up with as I cast about for ways to help all those thousands of people. I tend to use the tools I’m familiar with over and over, even if they’re not always the best choice. (I’m embarrassed to think of how many bowls of beef broth my family has choked down because I believe I make great soup, and therefore, it will cure whatever it is they’ve got.)
When our favorite tool is information technology, every solution looks like a computer, a Web site or a database. IT may be the answer; I just don’t think it’s today’s answer.
When the waters recede and people start settling down, it will be interesting to analyze how these online tools were used. Maybe they won’t get accessed so much in the first few weeks (or used mostly by aid workers), but after people get food, get a phone, file for benefits, find a place to live, get a job, then they can turn their attention to their Internet access and take advantage of some of the online government programs.
View Comments
There are currently no comments to display.
Post a Comment
To post a comment, you must be a registered user of FCW.com and be logged in. Use one of the forms below to login or register for FREE to FCW.com. To protect your privacy, you can use an alias as your username.
