The Refinishing Touch Blog

Last week the state of Texas took responsibility for the actions of Hurricane Ike. Rick Perry, the governor of Texas, announced a special measure to suspend the collection of state, local hotel and motel taxes for victims of the hurricane. This move is the result of the enforced evacuation of nearly 1 million people along the Texas coast. The suspension will be backdated to as far as September 8.

We all saw the devastation of New Orleans after hurricane Katrina rampaged through the streets. The desolation was inconceivable. Now states are finally taking some liability for the lodgings industry which supplies their cities. Last week extreme precautions occurred in New Orleans and in Houston, mayor, Bill White ordered an evacuation of 250,000 of the city's four million people.

But this annual environmental hazard could have more long-term positive benefits than just facilitating state intervention. Natural gas is a cheaper, more environmentally sound home-grown alternative to gasoline. It also has one other huge advantage: it is less vulnerable to the hurricanes that batter the Gulf Coast.

According to consultant and gas market tracker Bentek Energy LLC, the boom in shale gas is creating substantial new flows of natural gas - from ground to consumer. These neatly avoid the storm-prone coast and Gulf of Mexico.

We at The Refinishing Touch are focused on seeing the best possible balance between people and their environment. Ike is a reminder that we all live in a delicately balanced co-existence with our natural world.

Labels: Green, Hospitality, Hurricane Ike