FYI UPDATE

All righty now. A school in the lower 9th has finally re-opened. Yaaaay!!!
The Martin Luther King Jr. School of Science has re-opened for buisness.
They will have their doors open for the school year in Aug of 07.
Now that is great news.... Finally!!!

Other news, they want to close our school of medicin here in the city. What a crock.
That will leave a whole lotta folks in deep do-doo for medical help and doctors.
What is wrong with these folks. We need all the medical doctors, buildings and bed's that money can bring to us. We are short handed here and too many folks are leaving the state for just that reason.
Get busy people and email your congressman and get something done to help.

Ok yawl...here is very good information that needs to be kept on a fridge at home.

EMERGENCY COMMUNITIES....4316 BARONNE ST. SUITE D. NEW ORLEANS, LA 70115
917-442-8900 / FAX # 866-526-5205. Or you can go to www.emergencycommunities.org
or info@emergencycommunities.org if you need to make sure for your own safty that you are actually helping out a ligitiment organization.
They have stepped in to help out the lower 9th ward, Plaquemines Parish as well as other relief organizations. Yes you read right...they help out each other to get things done. Now too bad our president, our government, our mayors and this and other cities don't follow suite and learn to work together. Man they just don't get it...together we stand united...divided we fall.
We all lose out. Ok now here is the list of other organizations the emergency communities organization have helped out.
Bayou liberty relief, Slidell, Ms
Camp Coastal Outpost, Kiln, Ms
Camp Good News, New Orleans, La
Camp 2nd Helpings, Waveland, Ms
Celebration Church, Metairie, La
Common Ground, St Mary of the Angels, 9th ward, New Orleans, La
Four Directions Solidarity Network, Terreborne Parish, La
Community Center of St. Bernard, Arabi, La
Counter Current Caravan Kitchen, Lower 9th ward, New Orleans, La
Light City Church, Lower 9th ward, New Orleans, La
Project Hope, Violet, La
Mary Queen of Vietnam Church, New Orleans East, La
The New Waveland Cafe
Southern Mississippi Rural Health, Hattiesburg, Ms
St. Augustine Catholic Church, New Orleans, La
St. Bernard Project, Arabi, La
Operation Blessing, Slidell, La
Welcome Home Cafe, New Orleans, La
Zion Travelers Church, Phoenix, La

Please Keep in mind that there are still quite a few places here in New Orleans, Mississippi, Alabama and Texas that have been affected by Katrina and Rita and still need so much help.
St. Bernard Parish for one has been the land of the forgotten. The government has not helped, FEMA has refused to help them...etc...Those folks have actually put up signs in their windows with the slogan...S.O.S. ( SAVE OUR SELVES ) . I'm sure they really wanted to put up one that said...save our own asses, no thanks to our wonderful Government.

I would like for you to keep in mind that every second, minute, hour of the day there is a major event unfolding. Mother Nature is an unpredictable woman. You never know were, or when she is going to strick. It could be across the atlantic today...and in the morning be in your own front yard. So please. Help out in anyway that you can.
There is so much help needed all over the place, so please be a good neighbor and help.
You never know when it will be your hand that is held out for help.

If you have read any of my bloggs, you will find in the first FYI a name of a woman who makes dolls...she hand makes them. She lived in St. Bernard Parish. She also lost everything.
I understand, because I lived in the 9th ward.
Have you any idea what it is like to wake up and realize you have no home, no job, no insurance, hell....no nothing. Everything is gone ?
Do you know what it is like to find that hope again? to have faith? to not cry and just move on...to start over again when you are 50, 60, 70, 80 or 90 ? to have no help and have to live in a destroyed home that is in danger of falling on your head with no electricity. No runing water.
No real shelter from any of the elements?
Have you any idea how many of our older folks have committed suicide? the pressures have been so overwhelming at times it is amazing that heck. I am still here with hair on my head.
So please think..please help...
On the web sight you will find a list of supplies that are still needed.
Remember, any little bit is something.
EMERGENCY COMMUNITIES....4316 Baronne st., Suite D. New Orleans, La 70115.
917-442-8900. / fax # 866-526-5205.
www.emergencycommunities.org info@emergencycommunities.org

Ok...now for a water update...uhmmmmmmmmmmm...ya that would be great.
No word yet as to how long we will have drinking water or be able to flush or toilets...
So I guess no word is good news? ya right. I just think the Mayor is avoiding that one.
I'm sure the water pipes still haven't been fixed.
Heck how could they? I have to have our water heater blown out at least once a month due to water in the gas line.
I can't use my oven because of water in the line.
Our water pressure as you can imagine, sucks to say the least.
The cost of living has sky rocketed and folks are having to move out.
Some are living on the street with the rest of the folks that have lost everything.
But hey! We have clean streets in the Quarter and SDT has been pickin' up trash around the city and has been so nice as to add St. Bernard Parish onto their pick up list.
Let's see, as far as re-building? that still is slow. There are too many contractors rippin' folks off.
Like Jeffery Thomas for one...this guy was a computer specialist before the storm.
He doesn't know crap about construction. This guy we like to call the fire starter.
He has left places unfinished, and not done properly as well as up to code.
So far let's see...
He left our friends place so messed up it needs to be re- gutted and re- built.
The electricity was not grounded....the air condition unit was way too big for the house.
The plumbing was not capped off under the house. Leaving all the fecal matter, and such to run out under the house.
The sheet rock was hung uneven as well as all the sidding in the house.
All the doors were hung backwards and also are too small. So the rain comes into the house from the top of the door, as well as the bottom of the door...at both ends of the house.
All the light switches are in the wrong place, he threw out all the warrenties for all appliances that were put into the house...as well as all of the instructions for them.
There is such a list of things this guy and his crew have done it is not funny.
He also refuses to finish the job until he get's $43,000 more.
Heck he already ripped my friends off of $99,000.
They are broke.

It will cost them $60,000 to have their home re-gutted and re-built. They don't have the money to do so.
Therefore they are living in their home such as it is...along with all the mold still in their home.
A lawyer will not take the case unless he goes after the insurance company.
That is what folks are left with here now a days.
They don't have the money to go after these bad guys and homes are burning down due to bad electrical work. Not only destroying their home, but the homes around them due to lack of water pressure.

Our fire departments and Police departments are still under equipped.
We still have a back log of folks sitting in the emergency rooms going with out help for days.
There are not enough beds here, nor are there enough doctors...or medical supplies.
A good majority of the medical equiptment have been lost or ruined...
Our paramedics are overwhelmed and short handed.
We don't have enough ambulances or emergency vehicles equipped with supplies or machinery to do the job.
But hey! we have clean streets in the quarter and some of the tourists are coming back....
so as far as the Mayor Wonka is concearned....that's a good deal.

The response time for 911 or any emergency responder is ridicules. So don't count on the help folks.
Most of the police are too busy hangin out at the food places that give them all you can eat for $2.00.
That goes for the sheriff's department as well. The National Guard here is trigger happy so you know to watch your pee's and q's so to speak and walk lightly past them.

A good percentage of our children have failed 4th, 8th, and 12th grades.
A lot of the kids are here without parents now, or any adult guidence and having to fend for themselves. Guess I wonder why muggin's and such have been commited by youngsters...
Ya think maybe they need some money to eat? or heck maybe to survive?

Stores are closing down Royal street. Now that is really sad as well.
That was a very prominate street, busy with the best galleries...antique stores...and some good resturants tucked away on that street.

There is Hove perfume store that has been there heck...since the begining of time.
They make all of their own products, and they are wonderful.
They are doing so bad as well we are afraid they too will be closing.

The old A&P store is now up for sale...the Royal street grocery store is closed.
A number of galleries are no longer down that street.
At night you could stand in the middle of the street for quite sometime before a car comes along and you have to move.

You really don't see too many folks anymore down Royal street.
We have tried here. This weekend was the creol tomato fest as well as for the first time, the seafood fest.
Yep, you guessed it....it is hotter then hell out right now so I don't think they did very well.
With June in our present...alot of folks have left the city for highter grounds for hurricain season.
The tourist season is now at it's slow point.
And then there are folks who have just decided to throw in the towel and are moving or have moved out of state.

Propety value has dropped ( duhhhhhhh), Insurance rates are so high why buy.
Heck just try to get home insurance if you have never had it before...your just plumb out of luck here folks.

We still have people that have not been identified from the storm and yep, they are still finding bodies here.
Because of the extent of damage, there are alot of folks losing their property due to the destruction of records.
The state is now fighting them for that land so that they can re-build with hotels, motels...tourist places...etc..
Yep, they have told these folks they have no right to the property, yet they want the property taxes paid. Because it has not been paid due to the red tape the city has been steppin' in and taking this land for their own use.

Folks ask...why live there? why re-build and why save New Orleans?
Uhmmmmmm...maybe for the off shore oil industries that nobody thinks about until the price of gas goes up.
The seafood industries...cotton, sugar cain, produce, man the list goes on.
Not to mention our docks.

Then you add to it the history, the buildings, heck. We have one of the oldest standing bars in the whole US of A. That building has been standing since the early 1700's. It maybe lopsided, but hey, it's still standing.
The building I live in was built in 1830. Most of these places are at least that old, if not older.
HISTORY FOLKS!!!
ok, i'm tired of typing now...this should give you something to think about ok.
Then you need to think about the history of were you live. Really now and be proud of your homeland and help your neighbors ok.

God love, Bless and keep everyone out of harms way and safe always.
Peace out yawl.