[StBernard] What to do

[Westley Annis]

I feel compelled to write this for the benefit of the loyal da-parish
participants, as well as my many friends, neighbors, and relatives who keep
saying they don't know what to do. They hear suggestions from Craig about a
proposed plan, they hear rumors of some govt agencies buying their
properties, they read newspapers about buyouts to make them whole, and they
WAIT, AND WAIT AND WAIT for something concrete or some definite answer from
government to tell them what the next step is.

So here is what I tell people, and it's all my personal philosophy. 
Answer these questions for yourself because you can't get definite answers
and comittments in writing from any entity right now as a guarantee of what
the future brings.
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With regards to DO I HAVE TO RAISE MY HOUSE/CAN I REBUILD MY HOUSE?

Was your house built after 1975?  If yes, you already met the FEMA slab
elevation (BASE FLOOD ELEVATION) requirement and if you repair or rebuild on
that slab you are not required to raise the house and nothing has changed
for you. If no, go to the next question.

Are you in flood zone B where flood insurance is not required?  If yes, then
it's up to you to decide if you want flood insurance so nothing has changed
for you either. If no, go to the next question.  See the map today Times
Picayune for where flood insurance is not required in St. Bernard.

What is the elevation of the lowest part of your house slab?  What is does
the Nat'l Flood Insurance Map of 1975 say is the minimum required elevation
to get flood insurance for your lot? You can ask the parish or see a map the
T-P once published. Is your house slab a greater number than the required
elevation? (For example if required is +1.0 and your slab is higher at  +1.5
or if required is -1.0 and you are higher at -.5) If yes, then you already
meet FEMA requirements and nothing has changed for you. Do what you want.
If no, go to the next question.

Was your house (FEMA includes the roof, the siding, the slab, the sheetrock,
the built- in appliances, the flooring,the wiring, the plumbing, the light
fixtures, the insulation, the doors and windows, the toilets and tubs and
sinks,  the cabinets, etc., in other words as the FEMA rep told me,
everything that would still be there if you turned your house upside down)
damaged by 50%  or more when you take the cost to replace all those things I
listed above?  This is not the definition of damage that the parish or an
engineering inspector gave you. If no, then you are grandfathered in the
flood insurance program eventhough your house slab is lower than the FEMA
requirement, and it's up to you to decide if you want to raise it or start
over and build to higher elevation to get cheaper flood insurance. If yes,
go to the next question.

Do you want to have a house on your lot again?  If no, good luck and figure
out the next step in your life. If yes, then you must raise or rebuild the
house to the FEMA base flood elevation that is required in order to get
flood insurance for any house on that lot.

BE CAREFUL FOLKS, BECAUSE YOU MAY BE POURING YOUR TIME AND MONEY INTO A
HOUSE THAT HAS TO BE RAISED AND YOU DON'T WANT TO GET TO THIS LAST QUESTION
AND REALIZE IT CAN'T BE RAISED.

With regards to  WHAT DO I DO NOW THAT I GUTTED MY HOUSE BECAUSE THE
GOVERNMENT MAY OFFER ME MONEY FOR MY PROPERTY AND IF  I PUT ALL THIS MONEY
INTO REPAIRS AND I'LL LOSE THAT MONEY.

Folks, look at your other alternative as I told my relatives last night who
spent countless hours gutting the house themselves on Charles Drive in a
nice residential area that they would love to return to.  If you do nothing
and that house sits for months (or maybe years)  waiting for the govt to
expropriate your land and/or offer you a buyout to make it green space, AND
IF NO BUYOUT EVER HAPPENS, the house is going to rot  from the inside out.
You'll be forced to keep paying outrageous rent because you have no home,
and you'll be forced to keep it unblighted out of fairness to the rest of
the community. So what degree of confidence do you  have that an answer is
coming in the next month, when it's already been six months? What do you
have when a year goes by and the house is in worse shape then when you could
have done something?  On the other hand, if you repair the house, or
bulldoze and replace now, AND IF A BUYOUT EVER COMES, you have to be
compensated fairly by the government and you negotiate with the government.
This is what is done across America every time a new highway or other
project comes through.  Get your house appraised for its pre-Katrnina value,
keep every receipt for every expense you have since you started gutting,
keep track of the hours you spend on it doing things yourself and IF that
buyout happens to your lot, you have property rights to be compensated
fairly. But be sure you answered the question about does your house have to
be raised before you take this approach.

It's your choice, but unfortunately you don't know what lies in the future
for each choice and it's a personal decision. But please don't feel helpless
and say you can't make a decision. Doing nothing is actually a decision and
will take you down one of these roads.  I just want everyone to realize that
time is not going to stand still just because you don't have facts and
guarantees. Look at your circumstances, your finances, your age, and where
the two roads in this fork could end up.

I hope this helps those of you who are at this fork in the road. Also, one
day in a year or so, FEMA will revise its official Base Flood Elevation maps
for St. Bernard Parish. Any new homes will have to meet those base flood
elevations, and there is a good chance the elevations will be higher than
what was published in 1975.

Deborah Keller