DES MOINES - A group of Iowa businesses is promising to provide at least 100 jobs to victims of Hurricane Katrina.

A Web site launched Thursday allows refugees to search postings of jobs set aside specifically for them. About 14 businesses have pledged to offer 100 jobs, said Susan Ramsey, a spokeswoman for the Greater Des Moines Partnership.

Most of the jobs are temporary - up to six months - but some could become permanent positions if the refugees decide to stay in Iowa.

"Some of these people will decide not to go back home and that's fine, but the intention of the program is … to help them get back on their feet until they have an opportunity to decide what their next step is," Ramsey said.

Mary O'Keefe, chief marketing officer for Principal Financial Group, said the company had already donated money through fundraising organizations, but wanted to offer a more sustainable assistance. The company has openings for temporary positions, but qualified applicants also could apply for permanent jobs.

"We also have permanent openings that we are regularly interview and recruiting for and those jobs would be potential, too," she said. "So, we said we would participate in the program, and depending on the applicant, we could look at a temporary job or a permanent job."

Participants include Nationwide Mutual Insurance Co. and its Allied Insurance Co. division, Communications Data Services Inc., Grandview College, Hy-Vee Corp. grocery stores, Iowa Health System, Kum & Go convenience stores, Mercy Medical Center, Principal Financial Group and Wells Fargo.

Prairie Meadows Racetrack and Casino provided $50,000 to help the program get started. Founding organizations include the Greater Des Moines Partnership, Polk County, the city of Des Moines and The Des Moines Register.

About 10 jobs were listed shortly after the Web site became active at around 2 p.m. Thursday. Most were with Principal, a financial services company and one of the nation's leading providers of 401k retirement accounts. Jobs included claims examiner, portfolio manager, quality assurance analyst and retirement specialist.

Ramsey said more jobs would be added as descriptions are loaded onto the site by employers.

Ramsey said the employers recognize that many people unemployed by the hurricane posses job skills similar to those they seek.

The Gulf Coast has numerous casinos and Prairie Meadows recognized there could be displaced casino workers seeking jobs, she said.

Banking and other financial services companies also populated the area hit by the hurricane and Iowa has a number of major businesses in that sector, she said.

The program, called Bridging the Gap, is specifically designed for people who were employed when the hurricane hit and their jobs went away with the storm, Ramsey said. It is designed to give families income to help them recover.

"We don't want to give the impression that these are jobs that would otherwise go to other people in central Iowa. We have other job matching programs for them," she said.

Iowa's business community is keenly aware of the problems of disaster recovery. The state experienced extensive floods in 1993 and 2003 that shut down businesses, destroyed property and displaced citizens.

Iowa's history of offering help extends back more than 30 years.

The state welcomed refugees from Southeast Asia in the 1970s. More than 11,000 of the refugees resettled in Iowa.

Iowa also has welcomed Bosnian and Somali families.

"We have a culture of being helpful and being responsive to these types of circumstances," Ramsey said.

"I think our community is proud of that history and we really saw an opportunity to extend the arm of assistance again."