An update from St.Bernard and Buddy and Marie

[BUDDY]

First I'd Like to thank every one who has helped me and my family thus far and that includes offers i have not accepted and even Insurance company's i have paid for. I also am deeply appreciative of the help i received from Red Cross who has paid my hotel bill for a month and the unemployment office who has registerd my wife and son and even is registering my mother in law while attempting to qualify her for dis ability.

I also would like to thank FEMA for the $2000 advances they have sent to my son and mother inlaw and the qualifieing for food stamps fpr my entire group.

I even would like to thank the texas branch of walgreens who have filled our perscriptions with out paper work and mostly without cost.So as you can see alot of what you are hearing may not be true.

But now for the bad news. From what we have been able to see from web pics our shop was immersed under about 7-8 feet of water our home was flooded to a similar depth but we can't determine the exact depth nor if it has drained completely yet. we are still not being allowed to return to our area even for a cursury inspection.

There is even some surious considerstion being batored about ,as to Bull dozeing all the homes ans completly rebuilding if insurance and funds permitt.( Isn't it amazing that CNN didn't even know where St.Bernard was and then Soladad thought it was a 3 hour ride away.)Wonder what they will think now?
BUDDY

 

[Janet L]

Buddy, glad to hear you're getting the help you need to at least keep you and your family going. I saw your parish on the news and knew it was really bad. I believe what Soladad meant was that it took 3 hrs to get there by boat due to all the destruction they had to go around. I was watching CNN when she was asked how far away it was. She commented that it was normally a short drive but it took them almost 3 hrs. to get there by boat.

My thoughts, prayers, and donations are with all of you during this time.

 

[GUMBY GCF]

Buddy
I am glad you are okay and I hope the best for you and your entire family!~ Waht is the status on your personal things , like photos, jewlery, were you able to get the none replacable things out?
Are you going back to same area will you be opening your business back up in the same location? Will you be opening up again period?

 

[BUDDY]

John that is what I was trying to advise everyone about. We in an effort to leave ahead of the Rush left the day before the storm and in such a rush we left a lot of things behind includeing jewelry,important papers and pictures. This is not to mention a few very sentimental pieces of fuinture that has been handed down from our familes.We did remove a lot of the customers work to our second story in our home but we aren't even sure of how safe that was nor what it's condition is after all this time.We are also concerned about our two Cockatiels that we stocked heavily with food and water but we expected to return in days not weeks as it is turnning out.

We do plan to go back to restore the houses and then maybe consider relocateing if we can get a fair price for the properties. But we are hearing that they may require complet rebuilding and then we are not sure.

Despite all the assurances that this type of storm was foreseeable and therfore able to be prepaired for ,I can assure you this has been like no other disastor and even exceeded what had been the previous high bench marks as per those who have been through this before,unlike the Monday morning Quarterbacks that are telling the world how to handle the entire matter.( the mayor of Gulports comments are not new and he has been there and done that ,but some would have you think he is covering up.My question is why would he? Did he loose any less or get any better treatment?

BUDDY

 

[AnneL]

The did a report last night on ABC about St. Bernard's Parish that broke my heart to hear. There was a meeting Monday in Baton Rouge for the residents of that parish and they were told it could be 4 months to a year before they can return. There is also a good possiblity that in some areas people may never be able to return. They got flooded by a combination of water and crude oil from a big refinery there and everything is now covered in thick black sludgy oil. They also lost 90% of the dike that protects the parish from the Mississipi and the Gulf.