Hurricane Harvey's potential impact on Atlanta

ATLANTA - As thousands of people attempt to rebuild their lives in Texas after Hurricane Harvey, experts say the impact of the natural disaster will be felt all over, especially in the South.

Tom Smith, a professor at Emory University in Atlanta, expects many of the displaced people to move to the Atlanta area.

"There could be tens of thousands of people who go to Atlanta, Birmingham or Arkansas," Smith said.

He added, similarly to the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in Louisiana, evacuees will seek Atlanta for a new life now that everything they knew is gone.

"If you have this huge exodus of people leaving Houston and showing up somewhere else, there is going to be a change in those economies. A lot of more workers, need for housing, jobs... it will impact those communities in ways we are not anticipating," Smith stressed.

He also said people who live in Atlanta but depend on Houston for needs should expect major adjustments.

"You have to remember, being the large city it is, Houston has a huge impact on Atlanta. "We have people who commute to Houston every week for petroleum, healthcare, technology and other consulting services even though they live here. They will have to relocate or find other places to work," Smith said.