HOUSTON (AP) — The Houston that was battered by Hurricane Harvey is an economic powerhouse whose influence reaches far beyond its region, leading many to worry about when its economy will be able to stand up again.

Houston produces the plastic used in everything from sports cars to baby bottles and is part of a coastal region that supplies nearly a third of U.S. oil-refining capacity. As the fourth-largest U.S. city, with 2.3 million people, it is also headquarters for 20 Fortune 500 companies.

"Greater Houston is a major engine of the U.S. economy," IHS Markit says. Its port is the second-busiest in the United States. Its two airports handle 26 million passengers a year. And its world-class cancer center processes 13,000 cases a week, many booked by patients flying in from abroad.

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