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Temp firms, agencies placing Hurricane victims: vibrant job market here aiding those seeking work.

Article Excerpt
Like many survivors of Hurricane Katrina scattered across the nation, Theresa Emilien has no illusions of returning to New Orleans, the only home she's known.

The 44-year-old single mother of two teenage girls came to San Diego about two weeks ago to stay with her sister's family and has decided to make this city her new home.

"I don't want to go back. The majority of my family is gone from there. Everybody lost everything, and you know New Orleans isn't going to be rebuilt in a matter of a few months. That's not possible," she said.

Emilien is among 1,554 people who relocated to San Diego County after Katrina slammed into the Gulf Coast on Aug. 29.

While the American Red Cross revises that number daily, the vast majority of the displaced people hail from New Orleans, and only a smattering come from Mississippi and Alabama, said Gayle Falkenthal, a spokeswoman for the Red Cross of San Diego and Imperial Counties.

Several local employment agencies, as...