[Excerpt] On August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast of the United States, causing tragic loss of life and catastrophic damage in local communities. The destruction of property and infrastructure resulted in large numbers of workers and their families being displaced. The devastating impact of this storm still resonates in the nation; however, substantial recovery in employment was evident by the third quarter of 2006 in many of the areas most heavily affected by Hurricane Katrina. The effects of this storm on employment totals in the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages were first apparent in data for September 2005.