Mississippi's Moving Right Along

Hat Tip to The Only Republican In San Francisco:

Six months after Hurricane Katrina smashed through a fragile necklace of Mississippi coastal towns, the region is enjoying a post-storm boom. Fueled by insurance money, federal reconstruction aid and speculative capital, surviving hotels and restaurants are filled to overflowing, beachfront land prices are soaring, and developers are placing billion-dollar bets that shattered antebellum mansions will give rise to condominium resorts.

The shared sense here is that Mississippi's recovery, while still in its early stages and reliant on continuing outside help, is moving much faster than Louisiana's. Blessed with less damage, more federal aid and greater political clout -- and know-how from past storms -- Mississippi's lightly populated coastline is emerging from chaos, while large parts of the metropolis next door remain a silent, rotting wasteland.

I'm very proud of the way my home state handled this catastrophe. The Mississppi coast lost a lot of history in the hurricane, but it may have gained much more. New condos, new homes, new residents, and a surging real estate and economic boom. There's still a long way to go and a lot of work to do, but maybe Katrina, for all the pain she brought, will have silver lining after all.
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