St. Tammany News

In August, St. Tammany Parish government officials will begin the process of posting the homes and businesses where work has yet to begin after the storm.

"I'm giving everyone at least one year," Parish President Kevin Davis said. Davis said buildings will be posted with a big yellow sign asking the owners to contact the parish and inform officials of their plans and give a status report.

Davis said he understands many people are still negotiating with insurance companies or still waiting for grant money from the Federal Emergency Management Agency or loans from the Small Business Administration.

He said many have been denied by all of the above, and he feels they will qualify for the state's Road to Home program, which he said is not likely to get kicked off until mid-summer.

"If they can let us know they are in one of these processes, we don't have a problem with it," Davis said.

He said the parish is not trying to be intrusive but rather provide some comfort for those residents who have repaired their homes and have neighbors who have not.

If the building owner does not respond to the notice, Davis said a letter will be sent out, again asking nicely for them to contact the parish with a status update.

The homes in the process will be monitored every three months to make sure they are progressing.

The ones who do not respond or are not progressing and repairing their home will be forwarded to the parish's court system for handling as blighted buildings, but Davis said that is a long way down the line.

"No one needs to worry about that at this point," he said.

Davis said he understands many people's lives are still in a point of flux, and he is willing to help them.

Residents who received temporary permits to live in travel trailers or mobile homes for one year will be granted extensions for the time necessary to complete the work on their home, as long as progress continues.