[StBernard] Jer

[Westley Annis]

I just don't believe it is
right to discourage people into not coming back to what they may consider
home. Every one has their own feelings about living or not living in the
parish, but to try to discourage them into coming back is just wrong. --WOC
--WOC--WOC--WOC--WOC--WOC--WOC--WOC--WOC--WOC--WOC

Whoa, one minute, WOC...

Have you ever heard me bragging about where I live? Over my life in St.
Bernard Parish? When have I said, "Folks, stay away from going back to St.
Bernard Parish because people like WOC would have you die and unforeseen
death in the near future?

When I write, I list experiences and "former government" leadership (the JR
pitfall to recovery that was even a major point by current parish president,
Craig. Fortunately for da parish mo' money is pouring in as compared to
earlier mistrials. If there's human misery (and believe me, I've had more
than my share of such until I had a close call with a heart attack in trying
to do too much in the little time government offered me. At that time I
spent many, many, many trips in from South Carolina by car with enormous
expense I didn't have but had to borrow till the point that my house was on
the demo list. So many factors come into play while I (and I surmise most
others) couldn't afford da parish any more (one being insurances, rebuilding
costs and health and safety issues/reasons). 

The same reasons went into the personal decisions made by your own family
you spoke about. (why do they and I and other St. Bernardian survivors have
to keep defending why they made the decision to seek complete refuge to
these factors (or for some who made the brave decision to duke it out and
prove that they can lick Katrina's wrath with determination to succeed back
in da parish?). 

The whole point to stay or leave is no argument here as long as everyone
benefits from the choice they have made to be the right one for their family
and jobs. What is clear whether people wish to argue the point or not is
that St. Bernard will NEVER, EVER be the same. It IS different and whether
it evolves into a more perfect state than pre-Katrina is yet to be written
in history. We simply do not know--too early as recovery is going to take
many years. I've spoken about the demographics changing, the landscape, the
government, the people, everything. Everyone will agree to this because
they've seen just what has taken place thus far. It includes family and
friends missing from their lives (and believe me, it's not only those in St.
Bernard Parish but also on the flip side of the coin being experienced by
those who continue to survive beyond da parish shores). 

Everyone in da parish was touched/affected. No one was spared even
minimally. They all experienced a tragic loss. So why is there so much
insecurity by some who fail to see both sides of what happened to us? Surely
it's not being naïve. It cannot be stupidity as one really have to work hard
to achieve this wretched status.

In summary, we all must face the fact that no one went unscathed--no one. I
believe that people are responsible (as you mentioned) for their own
decisions. We shouldn't knock decisions by any habitant or survivor who made
a personal choice on what constitutes survival and complete recovery.

This is my take on recovery and so many others can offer their own personal
experiences beyond survival. 

One last thing. Do not believe that those of us that needed to continue life
outside of da parish don't face equal adversities as well. Daily, many of us
have had to face prejudices, bigotry, and cultural indifferences in new
communities. Some areas did not understand a St. Bernardian's viewpoint.
They looked upon us as leeches or parish and county strains and invaders or
worse. We must have touched some degree of culture-phobia nerve of theirs.
On the contrary, others were accepted wholeheartedly by churches and
townspeople. 

We all knew that St. Bernard Parish's absence poked a huge gap in our minds
and hearts. Those of us who couldn't get back and had to move forward
accepted the reality to the disaster: do what's best to recover no matter
what it took or how it required us to separate us from family, friends,
churches, clubs and life as we were accustomed. 

--jer--