[StBernard] Letter from Paul Perez

[Westley Annis]

** Paul included several pictures with his email. I'm not going to send 
the pictures out, but once I have a chance later today, I will post the 
pictures to a web site if send the link out. I was also able to get back 
in and visited several different neighborhoods. I will include all of 
those pictures and some videos also.

Westley
http://www.AskWestley.com

----

September 16, 2005

/I will be sending out information to people I believe to be either 
displaced by Katrina or to people who are housing those of us displaced 
by Katrina. I am doing this to try and help us all. I realize that many 
of us are getting lots of e mails. If you would like to be taken off of 
this list, please reply to that effect and I'll remove you. /

/On the other hand, if you know of someone who you think may benefit 
from receiving information such as what I've sent here, please let me 
know that and I'll add them to the list./

/If you have a question on some financial, insurance or related topic, 
please let me know. I'll try to address it and share the information 
with everyone!!/

/ /

Today’s E mail is personal. This is the first of three E mails. I tried 
sending it out as one e mail, but the files were too big to send.

Yesterday, I had the opportunity to return to my house in Chalmette and 
retrieve some items. Like all of you, there were and are several items 
we realized we had not taken that we really wanted. Given St. Bernard’s 
allowing access to the parish to business owners, I opted to take the 
opportunity to visit my home.

What I saw was complete and total devastation. There’s mess everywhere. 
Most shocking was the interior of my house. From the outside, my house 
looks relatively fine. Many shingles are missing and part of my chimney 
is gone, but aside from that the structure looks great.

It’s what’s inside that’s the most disturbing.

It’s as if a tornado ripped through the interior of my house and tossed 
furniture haphazardly and without mercy. Ironically, given all the 
violence, my religious articles did not move. I wonder what that tells us.

There’s 7 – 8 inches of sludge, mud, goop, whatever you want to call it 
on the bottom floor. It’s not represented in the pictures very well, but 
it’s there. It reminded me of burnt chocolate pudding, but with a 
thicker consistency.

If you have not been back to your houses yet, please prepare yourself 
for what you will see in your neighborhood and in your house.

And one more thing; many have asked me if I plan to go back and rebuild. 
My answer is Hell Yes I’m coming back. St. Bernard is where my friends 
are. St. Bernard is where my kids have grown up and where I want to 
live. St. Bernard is my HOME.

It’s gonna take a while, but St. Bernard will be stronger than ever in 
the future. It’s not often a community gets the opportunity to start 
with a clean slate and draw everything up like they want it. We get to 
route the roads like we want, considering today’s traffic patterns and 
demographics. We get to locate the schools where we want them and 
they’re needed. We get to fix the zoning and code issues that have 
plagued our community ( and any community that makes decisions as they 
“go along’) for so many years. We get to lay fiber optic line along side 
the drainage system to give everybody super-speed access to the 
information super highway.

In short, we get to start with a clean piece of paper and take it from 
there.

Will it take a while, you bet ya. But will it be wonderful, clean, and 
fresh state-of-the-art community when it’s all done.

Keep the faith. As sure as I can smell the muck Katrina left behind, I 
can also see the future Katrina has given us the opportunity to enjoy.

May God Bless All of Us.

Paul V. Perez
Certified Financial Planner
Financial Network Investment Corporation, Member SIPC
2800 Veterans, Suite 204
Metairie, LA 70002
(504) 835 - 1707