People are already talking about staying here in Houston following the storm.

After all, many evacuees have friends or family in the area, and others expect to be displaced a year. That means that they may decide that living in Houston may be a very attractive option for many of them.

From doctors and architects to retirees and gang members, more than 150,000 Louisiana residents have landed on this city's doorstep. Some will be here for days and months, but many will simply stay.

They will be looking for jobs and apartments. They will put their children in schools. They will figure out how to navigate the city in a bus.

These are not just the poor, dazed people seen in pictures of the shelters — many of whom are finding family and moving out.

They are professionals searching for nice houses and leasing them for the entire school year, said Terry Cominsky with Karpas Properties, who has helped six such families in the past week.

None has a clue whether they will ultimately buy a home and stay here, she said. Dozens of important questions come first, like how to collect insurance money and what happens to the mortgage back home.

But they might stay. And the effect on Houston could be "profound," said Mayor Bill White, without offering specifics. Certainly the city's budget will go up, as will tax revenue. Which will rise higher is anyone's guess, he said.

Other changes are happening fast.

A month ago you would have had no problem finding an apartment – today that is becoming much more difficult. A colleague’s wife reports an increase in potential homebuyers in the last week, many from Louisiana. The media claims that office space is renting fast as Louisiana companies plan for an extended relocation. On a note that is much closer to me, my school has a total of 9 students who have been displaced by Katrina -- and I expect the number to rise over the course of the week to at least 30 -- and beyond that next week.

Houston exists today because a hurricane wiped Galveston off the map 105 years ago. Does the destruction of New Orleans mean we will see an extended boom in 2005?

Posted by: Greg at 01:20 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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