[StBernard] Article on WWL We-site

[Westley Annis]

Jim:
 
I very much appreciate your response.  Throughout today I was feeling a bit
down, and reading your comments and seeing just how many thoughts we had in
common was very uplifting.   Although you have a position where you can
relocate, but choose not to, I lost my job and have had the friends that I
have made here in Chattanooga ask me why I don't settle here.  I have asked
myself that a number of times, because I would love nothing better to return
to a "normal environment", but in the end, it isn't home.  Granted, St.
Bernard will not be as it was, but even it it resembles the way the parish
was when I was growing up, with one small hospital, one major grocery store
and a few local neighborhood stores, and a restaurant or two where you can
have casual dining, I don't believe that it will be a bad thing.  Hopefully,
we can correct some of the mistakes that were made as St.Bernard grew, and
we can enjoy watching the parish grow again into something even better than
what it was prior to the storm.
 
Also, like you, my mother is up in age and cannot return to St. Bernard, but
I am attempting to find something for her that will be close enough for us
to visit her, and close enough for her to visit her friends, without fearing
every hurricane season.  
 
I mentioned the use of the "Returning Residents" listing on the parish
web-site, because so many people I have talked to are still unaware of it.
I try to talk it up so that the nay-sayers don't have people believing that
no one is returning to St. Bernard, when we all know better. 
 
We will be returning to St. Bernard the first week of January, one way or
another.  I hope that the parish continues to move forward, and that actions
are taken to motivate the insurance companies to finalize their claims.  I
know that I have been dealing with Traveler's Insurance on my mother's
policy since the second week of September, and they have yet to acknowledge
any activity.  After three months, and considering we are talking about
homeowners coverage, this should have been resolved long ago.  I know I am
not alone when it comes to insurance issues. 
 
Thanks again for lifting my spirits.  I look forward to returning to St.
Bernard Parish and hope that conditions become such that you and your family
can return as soon as possible. Good luck and may God bless you and your
family during these difficult times. 

John