[StBernard] blighted list

[Westley Annis]

JFR,
Once again your comments are coming across as judgemental.  What exactly are
you suggesting by asking how many vacations I have been on in recent years.
Just for the record I have been on vacation only 4 times in the 28 years I
lived in the parish.  Not that it is your business but I am a divorced woman
with two children and I have worked hard for every penny I had.  Yes, I had
insurance, but as a lot of us know it didn't come close to what I needed.  I
don't know of anyone who anticipated TOTAL devastation.  I struggled to pay
the premium for the coverage I had.  As far as planning ahead, have you ever
been in a situation financially where you lived paycheck to paycheck. I
bought the insurance that I could afford and that I believed would bring me
back.
Maybe in the neighborhood where you lived there were neighbors who were in
similar financial situation such as yourself.  In that case, if they are
abandoning their property I can understand your frustration.  But take a
ride around the parish, into the neigborhoods where the average income folks
lived.  Not much is happening at all in those areas.  Very few have come
back.  It is only my guess, but maybe some of those were in similar
situations.  No extra money to plan ahead for such a TOTAL devastation.
Again, it's just my opinion, but it is coming across as those with means are
blasting those without.  And it is my belief that until the parish gets
their act together there will be many who will hesistate to return whether
it is a financial decision or not.
PD


> -----------------------------------------------------

> PD:

>

> My statement regarding the money I have spent to repair my home did 

> not imply that ANYONE should spend money they don't have.  How many 

> vacations have you been on in recent years, when you could have been 

> saving or investing in your home as I did. I thought my comment was 

> clear, but if not, allow me to clarify:  Anyone owning property in St. 

> Bernard should, at the minimum, have some consideration for their 

> neighbors and clean their homes of food and debris, followed by 

> on-going maintenance of their yard.  If I had made the decision to 

> leave St. Bernard, I would have thought enough of my neighbors to gut my

home and maintain the yard until the house is sold.

> Yes, that involves some work, and in some cases, volunteer or paid 

> help, but with the exception of maintaining the yard, it is a one-time

effort.

>

> As far as my "having the means" to repair my property, I would label 

> that as "planning ahead" by maintaining a reasonable amount of flood 

> insurance.  As a result of Katrina and our inability to return home in 

> a reasonable period of time, I lost my job of 34 years.  So much for 

> big business, but rather than whine about it I have used the time to 

> do whatever I could to maintain my home and my neighborhood. For 

> example,  I have cut grass and removed debris along the canals.  Yes, 

> these and other items should be handled by the parish and the levee 

> district, but if they aren't, I complain in writing and by telephone

calls.  Eventually, something gets done.

>

> There is no reason for this parish to have the problems we are 

> starting to have with rats and snakes.  The clean-up effort needs to 

> be more organized and citizens need to be aware of what areas have 

> been cleaned each week, and what areas are scheduled and when.  

> Individual residents need to clean-up after the parish or Murphy 

> clean-up effort rather than allow the remaining trash to remain.  Yes, 

> you shouldn;t have to do this but if nothing else, the effort will benefit

everyone in the end.

>

> Finally, you asked that I not judge those who choose not to return.  

> If you review what I wrote you will note that I always indicate that 

> there is no right or wrong decision - everyone has to make the 

> decision they decide is best for them and their family.  My last 

> comments to this column were to stress that I agree with the parish 

> deadline and the enforcement of such, and the fact that I have 

> personally seen a number of neighbors that previously did nothing, and 

> since the parish issued a deadline have someone managed to gut their 

> homes, something which benefits all of us, whether returning or not.

>

> JFR