[StBernard] new construction debris

[Westley Annis]

Deborah:
 
You were extremely prescient on this issue from the getgo.  You kept
hammering and hammering for an official answer on this but never really got
one.
 
I read something on nola.com about a FEMA muckety-muck speaking before the
Southern Gov's Conference about how he realized the Stafford Act needed to
be changed.  I think we need to email, call, or otherwise contact our
Congressional reps and ROAR that the Act needs to be changed.  
 
How much sense does it make to remove the debris from gutted homes, want
people to rebuild, but not remove (either from the Parish's responsibility
or FEMA's) construction?  I guess the motto is:  Come back and
repair/rebuild.  By the way, we can't haul off your construction debris.
 
JLY


 

	-----------------------------------------------------
	Those of you who read da-parish.com won't be surprised, just
disappointed,
	to see on the parish website the announcement that FEMA won't pay
for
	hauling away new construction debris. To the newcomers to da-parish,
you
	see, back in Dec. I posted the question whether we who are repairing
needed
	to get our own dumpsters, as we would if we were repairing/building
before
	the storm. The reply message came that FEMA pay URG for the pickup.
	
	In February, I posted a message that our parish needed to stay ahead
of FEMA
	and should pay attentiont to what Kenner and Jefferson were going
	through-FEMA was refusing to allow pickup of new construction
debris. The
	problem got worse as household garbage was mixed in with storm
debris and
	new construction debris and they had a giant health mess on their
hands.
	Again, the reply message was that FEMA would pick it up and later
the came
	the suggestion to just mix it, i.e. hide it, with storm debris.
	
	In June I posted that I was going to have to pay $800 to have my
sheetrock
	and other new construction debris hauled to the Westbank because URG
workers
	said FEMA wouldn't let them pick it up. Then, somehow, it got picked
up
	(new crew maybe?). Having learned the hard way what I knew to be
true all
	along, I have used Jefferson friends to take my new construction
debris away
	each weekend and legally dispose of it because we St. Bernardians do
not
	have a public dumpsite where we can bring ours. Orleans, St.
Tammany, and
	Jefferson take it with a valid driver's license showing proof of
residency.
	But their parishes have money to provide this service. 
	
	When I asked Community Development about this in the past, they said
that
	the parish law had never changed-new construction and repairs always
did and
	always would require the owner to legally dispose of that debris and
their
	office had no idea how people got the idea that it would be picked
up free
	by URG, Murphy, or anybody else. 
	
	So finally St. Bernard Parish is publicly announcing what Jefferson
	announced seven months ago. Do not put new construction debris out
and
	expect free hauling away. You can keep waiting for a public dump
site (the
	announcement said maybe Gore Pumping Station at some future date),
pay a
	hauler, rent a dumpster service, or ask your Orleans, Jefferson, or
St.
	Tammany friends with trucks to visit you often and take a little
something
	back to their parish with them. I just hope we don't end up with a
lot of
	illegal dumping in canals, right of ways, other people's properties,
etc.
	because people will do whatever is easiest and cheapest to get it
off their
	own curbs.
	
	DDK