Vacation rentals turn into shelters for Harvey's evacuees

New Orleans

THE six-bedroom home in an affluent neighbourhood of New Orleans has everything a vacationer would want in a rental: tasteful décor with old-world touches like a clawfoot tub, a saltwater pool and a deck that would tempt even an inexperienced griller to try to char a nice dry-aged rib-eye. It goes for US$750 a night this time of year on Airbnb.

But the property, a couple of hours from flood-soaked Lafayette, Louisiana, is now available at a steep discount: it's marked down 100 per cent.