HoustonChronicle.com - Storm left NASA Gulf Coast facilities 'beaten up'

HoustonChronicle.com - Storm left NASA Gulf Coast facilities 'beaten up': "NASA on Thursday estimated the cost of restoring two Gulf Coast facilities in Hurricane Katrina's path at $1.1 billion and said it was assessing whether the agency can resume shuttle missions within a year.

The storm swept across the agency's Michoud Assembly Facility in east New Orleans, where shuttle fuel tanks are produced, and the Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis, Miss., where rocket engines are tested.

Many of the 7,000 workers at the two facilities are homeless, and it is uncertain when they can report for duty. High winds and water damaged some buildings. Electricity was cut off, and transportation routes were flooded."