[StBernard] St. Bernard residents pack council chambers for Chinese drywall meeting

[Westley Annis]

St. Bernard residents pack council chambers for Chinese drywall meeting
  Reported by: Shelley Brown, Weekend Anchor 
Email: sbrown at fox8tv.net 
Last Update: 9:25 am  

Chalmette, LA - St. Bernard Parish residents packed the parish council
chambers in Chalmette Wednesday for a town hall meeting geared to tackle
tainted Chinese drywall problems.  The meeting comes a month after residents
in St. Tammany Parish packed a town hall meeting in Mandeville to discuss
the same issue.  

St. Bernard Parish President Craig Taffaro and State Senators A.G.Crowe
(R-Slidell) and Julie Quinn (R-Metairie) hosted the meeting that brought in
a panel of experts and about 200 residents.  

Since Fox 8 News first broke the story in March, Sen. Quinn said the state
estimates there are between 4,000 and 7,000 homeowners, mostly in
Southeastern Louisiana, who have fallen victim to the toxic drywall that has
turned out to be hazardous to homes and people's health.  

The panel of experts educated homeowners on the latest solutions available
through the state to deal with the problem.  Sen. Crowe said the Louisiana
Recovery Authority, or LRA, has allocated $20 million to begin a pilot
program that would allow faith-based organizations and non-profit groups to
reach out to drywall victims with volunteers beginning the remediation
process, however details of the program are still being worked out.  The LRA
is also waiting on HUD to provide another $5 million in relief to
homeowners.  

Sen. Quinn said after meeting with federal lawmakers and the Gulf Coast
Recovery Czar in Washington D.C. recently, she has called for temporary
housing assistance for victims through the LRA.  

Taffaro said steps are also being taken on the parish level to provide
relief. He said the parish is requesting a waiver on property taxes for
victims, especially those who have been forced to move out of their homes
and rent another home.  He said the parish is also asking for that its Home
Mortgage Authority be allowed to grant soft second loans for homeowners that
are forgiveable for homeowners who are victims.  

Sen. Quinn urged all residents to file complaints with the Consumer Product
Safety Commission, or CPSC, at www.cpsc.gov and the LA Attorney General's
office at www.ag.state.la.us or by calling 225-342-7876.