[StBernard] St. Bernard Parish residents continue to deal with water issues

[Westley Annis]

OUT OF AN ARABI FAMILY'S FAUCETS, FILLING UP THEIR BATHTUB. NOW WE'VE
LEARNED MANY MORE RESIDENTS ARE EXPERIENCING THE SAME ISSUE AND BY THIS TIME
NEXT WEEK ST BERNARD PARISH COULD BE SLAPPED WITH A CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT.
WDSU REPORTER ANDY CUNNINGHAM HAS BEEN COVERING THIS STORY FROM THE
BEGINNING... HE JOINS US FROM ARABI WITH MORE ON THE SUIT. ANDY: THIS
LAWSUIT WHICH HASN'T BEEN FILED YET... ALREADY HAS SUPPORT FROM AT LEAST TWO
DOZEN RESIDENTS HERE IN ARABI AND THE HOMEOWNER BEHIND IT, SAID, THIS IS A
PROBLEM HE'S BEEN DEALING WITH PERSONALLY FOR DECADES ... IT'S PART OF
RICHIE SANDERSON'S DAILY ROUTINE, SWAPPING OUT FILTERS SO HIS FAMILY OF FIVE
HAS CLEAN WATER TO DRINK AND BATHE IN... HE CLAIMS ITS BEEN SOMETHING HE'S
BATTLED LONG BEFORE KATRINA, BUT ALMOST TEN YEARS AFTER THE STORM ITS ONLY
GOTTEN WORSE FOR SANDERSON WHO RETURNED TO HIS BELOVED NEIGHBORHOOD WHERE HE
OWN'S SEVERAL PROPERTIES ON PAMELA PLACE INCLUDING THE ONE HE CALLS HOME.
JUST ACROSS THE STREET... HIS NEIGHBOR JASON RICHE SHARED A SIMILAR STORY,
MONDAY, OF THE RUST-COLORED WATER HE DEALS WITH REGULARLY AS WELL. AND WHILE
THE PARISH HAS TOLD HIM HELP IS ON THE WAY IN FORM OF A $21 MILLION DOLLAR
LOAN---STILL NOT APPROVED--- TO REPLACE THE INFRASTRUCTURE UNDER MOST OF THE
HOMES IN THIS PART OF ST BERNARD, THAT DATE BACK TO THE TURN OF THE 20TH
CENTURY. HE'S SKEPTICAL AND SAID THAT'S WHY PURSUING LEGAL ACTION, WHILE A
LAST RESORT, IS THE ONLY MOVE HE HAS LEFT. ...RICHIE SANDERSON... ANDY: AND
COMING UP ON WDSU NEWS AT FIVE ...WE WILL HAVE PARISH PRESIDENT DAVE
PERALTA'S REACTION TO THE POTENTIAL SUIT AND WHAT HE SAYS THE ADMINISTRATION
IS DOING IN THE SHORT TERM AND LONGTERM TO FIX THE PROBLEM. REPORTING ON
YOUR SIDE FROM ST. BERNARD PARISH.. ANDY CUNNINGHAM WDSU NEWS..