Feds Ask 100 Firms to Offer N.O. Jobs

NEW ORLEANS -- The federal government hopes to talk 100 of the country's top firms into bringing 100 jobs each to New Orleans to help the city recover from Hurricane Katrina, the head of the federal recovery operation said.

The object is to help rebuild the city's middle class, Donald Powell, the Federal Coordinator for Gulf Coast Rebuilding, told The Associated Press.

Diversifying the city's economy is a key part of New Orleans' recovery, along with dealing with issues ranging from insurance and housing to health care, education and crime, Powell said in a telephone interview Friday from Washington.

So far, the federal government has dedicated more than $100 billion to rebuilding the Gulf Coast since the devastating 2005 hurricanes. Powell, whose office is part of the Department of Homeland Security, could not say how much more money the area might expect.

Federal officials are working on a plan, and will work with city leaders, to draw the attention of corporate leaders to New Orleans and help attract new jobs that could range from information technology to human resources or manufacturing, he said.

Details of the plan are still being developed. Powell's office noted that a federal act, approved just over a year ago, provides for tax and other economic incentives.

Powell said he hoped new jobs could be moved to the city this year.

Since Katrina, less than half of New Orleans' pre-storm population of about 454,000 people has returned.

A spokeswoman for Mayor Ray Nagin did not immediately respond to a call seeking comment Saturday.

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On the Net:

Office of the Federal Coordinator for Gulf Coast Rebuilding: http://www.dhs.gov/xprepresp/programs/editorial_0816.shtm