[StBernard] Free house demolitions to continue in St. Bernard Parish

[Westley Annis]

>From nola.com:

 
Free house demolitions are expected to resume in the coming days in St.
Bernard Parish after an agreement was reached Thursday on how the debris
from the demolished homes will be handled. 

The free demolitions were halted amidst concerns by state and federal
regulatory agencies over how the volunteer groups were sorting and handling
hazardous household wastes - such as fluorescent light bulbs and freon from
air conditioning systems - during the demolitions. 

Officials from the state Department of Environmental Quality and the federal
Environmental Protection Agency attended the St. Bernard Parish Council's
meeting in Chalmette Thursday to discuss the issue with Robert McKee, leader
of the Christian Contractors Association. The Christain Contractors
Association, a national nonprofit group, has demolished hundreds of homes in
St. Bernard Parish at no cost to the parish or homeowners. 

A government contractor, financed by the Federal Emergency Management
Agency, is also demolishing homes in the parish. 

The volunteer group has agreed to make an inventory, which would be
available to the state and federal government, of the various wastes pulled
from the homes it demolishes. 

FEMA officials said they need such an accounting in order to reimburse
government contractors for removing the debris once the volunteer groups
push it to the curb.