[StBernard] Don't Tread On Me

[Westley Annis]

For Sam and David:
 
Let's face one fact first:  None of our lives will ever be the same again,
post-Katrina.
Some have made the decision to move on elsewhere with whatever insurance
money they got or did not get, others have decided to rebuild what they had
and still others are kinda just stuck.
 
The parish, as an entity, has to start attempting to move forward.  For the
poor, disabled or elderly there should be no effort to coerce them into
anything.  Let them sign up for the gutting/demo lists.  For other folks,
those in the "stuck" mode, they have to make a decision.  If you have
reestablished your life elsewhere, then God Bless and best of luck to you.
But, if you still own that property down there you still have some
responsibilities.  Keeping at least the grass cut is a good start.  David
posted something asking "How will I know if the guy I hired to cut the grass
is cutting it?"  I replied asking if he had any neighbors or friends that
were in the parish that could drive by his house to see if it was cut.  
 
I'm not sure I really agree with the thing about doors and windows.  If you
replace windows now, with all the crap still laying around and we get
another storm come thru, even a small one, will you be forced to replace
them again if said crap blows up and through your new windows?  
 
I'm not being judgmental or anything.  If we had 60K residents in St.
Bernard pre-K, we probably have 60K different sets of circumstances.
However, I'd hate to see anyone's LRA grants affected by a possible lien
against their property if the parish has to go do work on their property.
 
I know with our house, my neighbor took some pics and put on her picture
site.  I was appalled at the grass/weeds.  So, I'll be calling that guy
Otto.  Most probably he can get by using a weed wacker since it mostly looks
as if weeds have taken up residence.
 
This is all just my thoughts on the situation.  Mine are no better nor any
worse than anyone else's thoughts.
 
JY