[StBernard] Press Release from Parish

[Westley Annis]

CONTACT:  steve cannizaro

St. Bernard Parish Government

Public Information Officer

 

504.278.4221 OR 504.259.3395                        

 
September 26, 2005; 7:00 PM CST

 

Residents return to St. Bernard to see their homes 

 

Thousands of St. Bernard Parish residents began streaming back into the
parish Monday to see their homes for the first time since Hurricane Katrina
struck on Aug. 29 and the re-entry will continue without end, officials
said.

 

"It's another step toward recovery,'' Parish President Henry "Junior''
Rodriguez said.

 

He emphasized there isn't any truth to rumors that access into the parish
will be limited to only a few days. "They can come in and out as they feel
free,'' Rodriguez said. "We just don't have basic necessities'' such as
electricity and water, although he estimated as much as 30 percent of St.
Bernard may have water service shortly.

 

There is a dusk to dawn curfew for returning residents, he said.

 

"We want people to see their property and then they will be able to make a
decision about what they want to do,'' in conjunction with their insurance
representatives, Rodriguez said. He said he wants residents to re-build in
the parish.

 

 

All seven St. Bernard Parish Council members said they were glad to see
residents returning.

 

"It was very uplifting to see our friends and neighbors but sad for to see
what they were experiencing'' in their first look at their damaged homes,
Council member Craig Taffaro Jr. said. He said many of the people he spoke
with said they would like to come permanently but feel somewhat trapped by
the uncertainty.

 

Council members Joseph DiFatta and Judy Hoffmeister said the re-entry went
smoothly.

 

"It was sad to see the expressions on people's faces when they left,'' said
Larry Ingargiola, head of St. Bernard's office of emergency preparedness.
"You see the tears and know that everything they have worked for is gone.
But we hope they will return. We are going to re-build St. Bernard.''

 

Rodriguez said insurance adjusters should feel free to meet with residents
at their homes to begin the procedure of working out their claims. "The
adjusters need to get here and meet with the people,'' Rodriguez said.

 

Parish Council member Mark Madary of Arabi said, "There's no excuse for
adjusters not showing up'' now that the parish has been re-opened.

 

Rodriguez also said parish officials are working on getting a gasoline
station, a grocery store, a pharmacy and a restaurant up and running again
in the parish.

 

At least 5,000 vehicles entered St. Bernard Parish on Monday, the first day
that residents were allowed to enter their parish since Sept. 19, when the
re-entry program that began Sept. 17 was suspended after only three days
because of the threat of Hurricane Rita.

 

Parts of St. Bernard north of Judge Perez Drive from the Orleans Parish line
to Packenham Drive in Chalmette received flood waters a second time after
there was a breach in the Industrial Canal in New Orleans during Hurricane
Rita. The new hurricane also brought renewed flooding east of the Verret
levee in eastern St. Bernard.

 

Residents aren't allowed back into the areas that were flooded during
Hurricane Rita, but officials said the water is being pumped out and should
be dry within a day or two, officials said.

#####