[StBernard] Parish, same as always

[Westley Annis]

I have read email after email of complaints and credits, but nowhere has any
answers really been given...  We are in the oil spill area, I went with my
20 yr. old son repeatedly to our OLD home to gut what we could.  My husband
has been working every extra minute he possibly can to help make ends meet,
and therefore was unable to help us gut.  My 58yr. old Father gutted his
home in the oil spill area by himself and was ill for weeks with sinus and
allergy type problems.  We did not sign up for help with the gutting but did
sign up for the demolishion, which no one informed us was not going to
happen because of our location until my husband phoned to make sure we were
still on that list.  No one was prepared for a storm of this magnitude, but
as always in the parish it's who you know and how fast they can get you
where you need to go.  I hear of all these elderly people who can not
possibly gut there own homes, but yet our organizers have gutted homes for
people who are very capable, but knew who to call to get it done.  It
sickens me to hear the horror stories of the things that are going on in our
parish.  I went to our house by myself one day and could not bring myself to
get out of the car.  I was AFRAID.  Afraid to get out in my own neighborhood
and go into my own home.  
Maybe our organizers should have helped us plan to repopulate one small
section at a time instead of all these random homes so spread out.  Is
anyone really thinking about the people of our parish?  I couldn't get any
one to do anything about 2 great danes running loose in my neighborhood
before the storm, so what makes anything different now.  It would be nice to
say we learned something from all this mess, but all I see is a few resident
trying there hardest to return, maybe because they have no other choice, but
NO ONE lending a hand or giving some really honest answers.  I must comend
though all the OUT-OF-TOWN religous groups, for they are the only ones truly
trying to help some one in need.
Thanks for listening!!! CO