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Katrina evacuees shift Houston’s identity, CNN, August 12.

Six years ago this month, Gasper and most other New Orleans residents boarded buses, filled SUVs and crammed highways to escape the wrath of Hurricane Katrina.

While the Louisiana city has begun to rebound, its former residents have made an indelible mark on the places they’ve gone — and none greater than in Houston, where as many as 250,000 evacuees landed after the hurricane, according to some estimates.The 2005 hurricane along the Gulf Coast left more than 1,700 people dead and wracked up billions of dollars in damages. Gasper is among the countless New Orleanians who chose to rebuild their lives in Texas after losing their homes, possessions and communities in the storm.

Although the numbers are still in question, the relocation and resettlement of many New Orleans residents to Houston seems to have been positive.  More studies on this topic are needed.

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