[StBernard] Rebuilding St. Bernard: A Series About Residents Returning Home

[Westley Annis]

Victor and Lenor Duplessis and Jerry and Brenda Ruiz are pioneers, some of
the first families back in renovated homes on Moss Lane in the Oak Ridge
subdivision in Violet, which took on about 10 feet of flood water in
Hurricane Katrina.
 
And both men, who live several houses apart in the 2800 block, say they did
most of the work themselves and say the easiest way to accomplish the job is
to order everything together in advance, rather than piecemeal as you go
along., That way it will be available when you are ready for it.
 
"Everything fell right in place,'' said Victor Duplessis, who works at
Boasso America and has lived in Oak Ridge about three years with his wife
and their two sons. He believes he got his materials quickly because
"everything was at a standstill'' when his family started rebuilding in
February. 
 
They moved back in about the first week of April, he said.
 
It was depressing at first to go back to the damaged home. "We had just
bought a whole house of new furniture'' before the hurricane struck and it
was ruined, Duplessis said. "That was the hurting part.''
 
Duplessis said he and his wife thought about what to do in the heavily
damaged neighborhood and decided rebuilding was the best option available.
"I know a lot of people are waiting for the (state's) Road Home (program)
and the SBA (Small Business Administration)'' for money, he said. "But you
might as well get started.''
Brenda Ruiz owned the home on Moss Drive about three years before she and
Jerry were married in February.
 
"We weren't coming back'' initially because of the destruction, said Jerry
Ruiz, who works in elevator construction. Grilling hamburgers for dinner
recently, Ruiz said the couple eventually decided rebuilding was best
because insurance money would cover the cost. 
 
He started working on it in January and they were living there n late July.
"I'm glad to be back,'' Ruiz said.
 
And he's convinced others will follow. "I think a lot of people are waiting
for hurricane season to be over.'' He said some people have moved into homes
on nearby streets and a number of residents are in FEMA trailers on Moss
Drive, which he hopes is a good sign.
 
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