[StBernard] Storm-Damaged Homes on Public Rights-of-Way to Be Demolished

[Westley Annis]

Storm-Damaged Homes on Public Rights-of-Way to Be Demolished 

March 7 , 2006

By: Steve Cannizaro


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Demolition of Hurricane Katrina-damaged houses in St. Bernard Parish will
begin with 30 structures that were blown by winds or floated by the flood
onto public rights-of-way, parish Council members decided in a committee
meeting on Monday, March 6. 
 
The parish Public Works Department will handle the demolitions. Some of the
homes are on public streets and some ended up in canals. 
 
Owners of 11 of the homes have already signed up and requested to have their
structures demolished. Nineteen others haven't given consent and parish
officials will try to reach them for consent, but if they won't give
permission the structures will have to be demolished through legal
procedures to make streets and canals passable, council members said. 
 
All seven Council members voted to begin the in-house demolitions, which are
to begin shortly. No date was set. 
 
A total of 2,000 homeowners have signed up to have the parish demolish their
structures free of charge but the program has been delayed because of
problems with the Federal Emergency Management Agency approving debris
removal contracts. 
 
Houses facing the first wave of demolitions are in several different
communities, including Arabi, Chalmette, Meraux and Violet. Many of the
structures were on Alexander Avenue, Sidney Street and Rose Street
andBenjamin Street in Arabi, Delambert Street in Chalmette, St. Marie Street
and Ehrhard Street in Meraux and Fourth Street in Violet.