HOUSTON -- Houston's murder rate was No. 2 in the nation in 2006, outranked only by Philadelphia, KPRC Local 2 reported Tuesday.

According to statistics compiled by the FBI, Houston's homicide rate climbed 12 percent in 2006 with a total of 334 deaths. The Bayou City had more murders than Dallas for the first time in more than a decade.

Police admitted that the Houston homicide rate spiked in 2006, but insisted that it is on the decline in 2007.

Officials attributed the surge to what they call the "Katrina effect."

The wave of Katrina evacuees that settled in Houston included criminals that police said were involved in 74 killings last year.

"That is almost 20 percent of our total murders here in 2006 were Katrina-related. No other city in the country had to deal with that kind of influx of population of 150-200,000. And, certainly, that impacts on a murder rate," said Capt. Dale Brown with the Houston Police Homicide Division.

Police responded by targeting high-crime areas with extra officers, which they said has resulted in a decline.

"We arrested a number of people. We let them know that we were on top of it. And when we did that, we saw the homicide rate and the rates of all violent crime, go down. So, the last six months and the last year were better than the first six months. And so far this year, we're down over 20 percent," Houston Mayor Bill White said.

The increased murder rate does not surprise some Houstonians.

Shivers Whiting lives in southwest Houston. He said it is not safe to be on the street at night.

"There's gangs up and down the street -- prostitutes, hookers and hustlers -- that unless you have to be out here, don't be in this part of south Houston," Whiting said. "It's not really a good place that you want to be at."

Police said most of the violent crime was concentrated in and around large apartment buildings.

Comparing the first five months of 2006 to 2007, officials said the homicide rate is down 9 percent.