Free Republic

Minus stout competition from the Mississippi Gulf Coast and with thousands of recovery workers with time and money on their hands, Louisiana's casino industry is enjoying its biggest boom ever - thanks to the double punch of hurricanes Katrina and Rita. But Mississippi, with a reconstruction plan featuring shoreside casinos that are attracting billions of dollars in investments, will be back in the hunt soon and positioning itself to reclaim its gambling dominance in the South, industry analysts say. Flocks of gamblers have provided a revenue boost for Louisiana, which faced dire predictions of deep cuts in spending after the...

- Walls Can Withstand 250 MPH Winds - FORT WORTH, Texas, Sept. 13 /PRNewswire/ -- With rescue and relief efforts underway in the Gulf Coast, experts will soon be faced with the challenge of rebuilding cities and communities. Building officials in coastal areas impacted by Hurricane Katrina would do well to learn from Florida. Faced with destruction, deaths and costly rebuilding after an onslaught of storms in the past decade, Florida revamped its building codes and enacted provisions for structures that could withstand punishing hurricane force winds. NUDURA insulated concrete form technology (ICF) meets Florida's stringent building codes and is...