Nearly 45 percent of the 200,000 vehicles damaged from flooding during Hurricane Katrina have been moved to other states in the past year and have lost their storm-related brands, according to the data compiled by Experian Automotive, an automotive information source.

The company said that these vehicles, which were registered in the U.S. zip codes identified by FEMA as having been devastated by the effects of Katrina, usually carried one of several different brands on their titles to denote storm-related damage. These brands included scrapped, junk, rebuilt, rebuildable, water damage, salvage, and storm damage-Katrina (an exclusive brand to Louisiana). A title brand refers to words or symbols on the vehicle's official title issued by the state DMV that signify the vehicle's status or condition.

"Even [more than] a year later, Hurricane Katrina continues to have a significant impact on the auto industry," said Scott Waldron, president of Experian Automotive. "Our data has shown that there are still many vehicles from the storm-affected areas being branded as damaged, and yet a significant number of those vehicles lose their flood-damaged brands when re-titled in another state.

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