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Region rebuilding, rebounding, looking ahead.

Article Excerpt
Overall, the Mississippi Gulf Coast has made remarkable strides since Hurricane Katrina devastated the region three years ago, and the recovery continues even as the national economy struggles. Construction and rebuilding not only stabilized the economy in the months after the storm, but propelled revenues to new highs.

There are bright spots and some not so bright as obstacles put a drag on rebuilding; the most glaring being the high cost of insurance and lack of affordable housing.

"Generally speaking, compared to where we were right after Katrina or even a year and a half ago, tremendous progress has been made," says Brian Sanderson, president of the Gulf Coast Business Council. "There still remain some very real challenges with insurance and affordable housing that include the price of land and construction materials, zoning ordinances and bureaucracy.

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"There's also the not-in-my-backyard mindset. Pascagoula and Ocean Springs are making strides with affordable housing...

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