by Nick Fishman

If the tragedy caused by Hurricane Katrina wasn’t bad enough, all of the problems discovered in its aftermath were.  Among the problems encountered by authorities in the affected areas is the inability to locate as many as 4,500 registered sex offenders, all of whom can be assumed to have evacuated the area with the rest of the population in late August.  This includes at least 270 offenders who were deemed to be "likely to be repeat offenders" as highlighted in a recent Reuters story.   The primary concern is that these people have ended up in areas where their past will not be revealed and they can commit similar transgressions.  Equally concerning is that they could just "disappear" into the country and be lost forever.  From an employment standpoint, it is highly recommended to conduct a Sex Offender Registry search on all applicants that have been displaced from these areas.