For the gulf coast states, which are still in recovery after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita (2005), and Hurricane Ike (2008), the assessment is ominous.

Amrita Saxena, the mother of the child, said it was difficult for her to believe that her son broke the world record, until a friend convinced her.

Every time a Katrina, Rita or Wilma wreaks her havoc, firms around the world worry that a vital supplier may have been knocked out of their increasingly global supply chains.