[SIZE=2]A firm has been hired to oversee the demolition of thousands of houses the state bought from hurricane victims after the 2005 storms.

The Louisiana Land Trust, or LLT, has picked Massachusetts-based CDM Inc. for the work.

LLT estimates that up to 4,000 properties the state bought through its Road Home program will be demolished, along with remaining slabs. Many houses have previously been demolished.

LLT executive director Mike Taylor says about 9,000 properties statewide will be disbursed to local entities. Those entities will be charged with helping move them back into commerce or put to another use.

Taylor expects "several hundred" houses to be rehabilitated, given factors such as the damage sustained and the length of time they've sat since the storms.
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