[StBernard] Don't Tread On Me

[Westley Annis]

I don't have any problem with the grass cutting thing.  But the gutting 
thing is another matter.  In a perfect world everyone's house would be 
gutted, but there are some people with real and legitimate reasons besides 
age and preventing them from gutting.  Some have jobs in states far away and

no way to get here to gut their house.  By the time they drive here it's 
time to turn around and go home for work on Monday.  Gas is high so money is

an issue for most people who have lost it all and have no, or very little 
flood insurance, especially after the mortgage is paid off.
My daughter lives in a another state 1500 miles away and is about to give 
birth.  Her husband is in the military and can't just leave and take time 
off whenever he wants.  She has been signed up for gutting from almost the 
beginning and her house is still sitting there.  She had only enough 
insurance to pay off her mortgage.  Money is tight for them as for most 
young couples first starting out.  We have tried our best to help but we're 
not as young as we used to be and it is too much for us.  We had our own 
properties to deal with and tried to do it ourselves but just couldn't.  We 
paid for some of it and the parish gutted one of our properties.  We thank 
them for that but it was one property out of five.  We paid for the rest our

selves.  It's not cheap and the money is tight.  Now the doors and windows 
are another thing that is a problem.  Not only because the house might be 
green space but even if it is not, I'm afraid the doors and windows will get

broken by vandals.  Our windows are broken now and they were not broken 
after the storm.  Vandals have broken our windows and with nobody around I 
fear if we put new ones in they will just be broken again.  I saw evidence 
that someone had tried to light a fire in one of our houses.  It is not safe

to put money or have anything of value in these neighborhoods yet.  I know 
that some places are better than others but these things need to be taken 
into consideration by our leaders.  It would be just plain stupid to put 
money into an area with no neighbors, police, or neighborhood watch; no one 
is there except people up to no good. I'm not trying to complain but some 
things just don't make sense.

Laurie