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Leslie Wilson, 57, of Chalmette, booked with aggravated assault for allegedly trying to cut a neighbor's head off with a sword

Sep 30, 2008 - A Chalmette man was booked with aggravated assault on Sunday night, Sept. 28, for allegedly trying to hit a neighbor and cut off his head with a 4-foot metal sword during an altercation, Sheriff Jack Stephens said.
 
No one was injured.

Leslie Wilson, 57, 4019 Jupiter Drive, acknowledged to sheriff’s deputies he tried to go after neighbor Albert Estopinal III, 32, 4021 Jupiter, with the intent of cutting his head off, saying Estopinal threatened him first, the sheriff said.

Both Wilson and Estopinal were booked with disturbing the peace in the 8 p.m. incident on Jupiter Drive near the corner of Atreus Street. Wilson was also booked with attempted simple escape by somehow getting out and walking away from the sheriff’s car he had been placed inside, while handcuffed, but was immediately stopped and put back in the vehicle.

Estopinal also was booked on an outstanding arrest warrant charging him with felony theft over $500.

Both are being held in St. Bernard Parish Prison; Wilson on bond of $13,500 and Estopinal on bond of $11,000.

A sheriff’s deputy recovered he sword, which he said he saw through an open door was on the living room floor of Wilson’s residence, Sheriff Stephens said.

Estopinal told deputies he went to Wilson’s residence to confront him over something and they got into a physical altercation, at which time Estopinal said Wilson broke free, ran into Wilson’s residence, and came out with the sword, the sheriff said.

Wilson followed Estopinal to the street where Wilson allegedly swung the sword at the man, who dodged the attempted strikes by jumping away, Sheriff Stephens said.

The sheriff said the men were still outside when deputies arrived but the sword was gone, soon recovered in Wilson’s residence.

Wilson’s wife, Helen Wilson, told deputies her husband went after Estopinal with the sword as a means of protecting her, the sheriff said, but the woman was inside during the incident.

Kaylynn Nasworthy

Sep 29, 2008 - St. Bernard Parish authorities are asking the public’s help in finding a 14-year-old girl who has apparently run away from home, leaving her medication for hypoglycemia, which she hasn’t taken since before her mother last saw her on Friday, Sept. 26, Sheriff Jack Stephens said.

Anyone who has seen Kaylynn Nasworthy of Meraux is asked to call the St. Bernard Parish Sheriff’s Office at (504) 271-2501. Her mother said the girl disappeared the night of the 26th and hasn’t been seen since.

A friend of the teen-ager said the girl called her to say she was at a residence but didn’t know where she was, Sheriff Stephens said.

The 14-year-old is about 5-4, weighs about 100 pounds and has shoulder length auburn hair, authorities said.

Vernon Cook, given 22-year prison sentence for cocaine trafficking in St. Bernard Parish

Sep 26, 2008 - A 22-year prison sentence has been given a New Orleans man who was part of a narcotics trafficking network that distributed multi-pounds of cocaine until dismantled by St. Bernard Parish and federal law enforcement agencies over a 3-year period.

 Vernon Cook, 37, jailed since February 2007 when he was arrested in St. Bernard, pleaded guilty Tuesday, Sept. 23, to possession with intent to distribute 4.5 ounces of cocaine. The cocaine had a street value of about $1,500 an ounce.
State District Judge Wayne Cresap sentenced Cook, formerly a St. Bernard resident, to 22 years in prison after his guilty plea, an unusually long sentence.

St. Bernard Parish Sheriff Jack Stephens, who has stressed  enforcement of narcotics laws is a cornerstone in preventing murders over the drug trade, said he welcomes the lengthy prison sentence for Cook and hopes for the same for others in the drug organization he was involved in.

“We are pleased the District Attorney’s office and the judicial system is taking a hard stand in dealing with narcotics traffickers and are handing out harsh sentences,’’ Sheriff Stephens said. “Drugs are a major cause of both crimes against persons and property crimes.’’

The sheriff added, “We are trying to send a message that if you come to St. Bernard Parish and deal drugs you will be caught and will go to prison.’’

Sheriff Stephens also said about 30 people from the crime organization that included Cook have been arrested in the last three years by the St. Bernard Parish sheriff’s Special Investigations Division headed by Col. Chad Clark or federal drug enforcement agents.

“This group was moving narcotics, including cocaine, of significant weight all throughout this region including Mississippi,’’ the sheriff said.

He said many members of the group are currently serving prison sentences or still face prosecution, adding the investigation is continuing.

Sheriff Stephens said he encourages anyone who knows of drug-dealing or use to call the Sheriff’s Office drug tip line at (504) 271-DOPE. Information can be left anonymously, he said.

Sep 26, 2008 - A Chalmette man was sentenced to five years in prison for the theft earlier this year of brass vases from gravesites in a St. Bernard cemetery, some of which were sold to a scrap metal dealer but later recovered.

Patrick Centorbi, 22, pleaded guilty to theft of vases on Tuesday, Sept. 23, and was sentenced to five years in prison by state District Judge Wayne Cresap in Chalmette.

Centorbi, who lived at 2524 Pecan Drive, Apt. A,  when he was arrested last April by St. Bernard Parish sheriff’s deputies, was booked with theft, possession of stolen property and desecration of graves  in an investigation of some 200 reported missing vases from gravesites at St. Bernard Memorial Gardens Cemetery, 701 West Virtue St., Chalmette.

Authorities recovered 148 of the vases, which sold for about $600 retail through the cemetery but commanded only a fraction of that amount when about 50 were sold on the scrap market before their recovery.

Centorbi was among four men arrested in April in connection with thefts that happened over a period of weeks and it appeared several of them were acting separately because only two of them knew each other, St. Bernard Parish Jack Stephens said at the time.

Centorbi is the first case in court.

Brian Boudreaux, 22, both of Chalmette, was booked with possession of stolen property in connection with the case.

Shortly after the arrests of Centorbi and Boudreaux, whom Sheriff Stephens said didn’t know each other, some 50 vases were recovered at a New Orleans scrap metal yard.
 
Then, State Police and the New Orleans Police Department, culminating an undercover investigation, arrested six people at two New Orleans scrap metal businesses for allegedly not following the law in purchasing scrap metal.

One of those businesses, Poland Scrap Metal Works, had purchased a total of 50 brass vases allegedly from Centorbi and Boudreaux and all were recovered, authorities said.

The St. Bernard Parish Sheriff's Office and the Louisiana National Guard assisted with that undercover case.

A week before the arrests of Centorbi and Boudreaux, two other men, Val Terry, 41, and Joseph Scorsone, 42, also both of Chalmette, were arrested April 5 in connection with thefts from the same cemetery.

At the time of their arrests 98 stolen vases were recovered in a pickup truck in Chalmette. Sheriff Stephens praised the work of an alert cemetery employee who called the Sheriff’s Office after seeing a suspicious-looking pickup truck being driven from the grounds on April 5 and locating the truck himself in a nearby driveway.

The sheriff also said the cemetery cases “makes you wonder how low people can sink. Someone goes into a graveyard to steal items’’ placed there to honor the dead, he said. “It shows the worst side of human nature.’’
 

Sep 26, 2008 - St. Bernard Parish will hold a brief rededication ceremony Saturday, Oct. 11 at 8:30 a.m. to mark the updated monument honoring the victims of Hurricane Katrina at Shell Beach. The event that was to be held on the anniversary on Aug. 29 had to be postponed because of the impending threat of Hurricane Gustav.

However, Parish President Craig P. Taffaro Jr. said it would be respectful to hold a small event to remember the victims and to have a public viewing at the Shell Beach memorial site on the Mississippi River Gulf Outlet. It now has a black granite face with 163 names of St. Bernard Parish victims Hurricane Katrina who died as a result of the storm, whether it was during the actual event or because of the evacuation.

The newly engraved and corrected monument includes about 20 more names and corrected spellings for several of the initially listed victims. A few names were removed because the people originally were listed as missing, but they indeed survived.

Since Taffaro began the effort to update the monument in early 2008, relatives of victims called to provide death certificates to prove their loved ones should be added. Also, Coroner Bryan Bertucci provided a list from a combination of sources updated since the initial monument was erected for the first anniversary in 2006. Unified Recovery Group, the parish contractor for demolition and debris removal, funded the costs of updating the monument.

The theme of this year’s anniversary events has been to focus on the community’s spirit and the ongoing recovery.

The St. Bernard Parish Sheriff’s Department will direct traffic to park in an off-street parking area near the Yscloskey Bridge, and a St. Bernard Urban Rural Transit bus will bring visitors directly to the monument at the Mississippi River-Gulf Outlet.

Sep 26, 2008 - A Violet man was booked with felony second-degree battery on his wife for allegedly striking her several times to the face with a closed fist during an argument at their home and allegedly choking her unconscious after she fell to the floor, Sheriff Jack Stephens said.

In a separate case, a woman from the Kenilworth community in eastern St. Bernard was booked with child desertion for allegedly placing and leaving her two 2-year-old children in their father’s vehicle, apparently without his knowledge, the sheriff said.

Donald W. Rush, 49, 1905 Tino Lane, was arrested late Thursday night, Sept. 25. He is being held in St. Bernard Parish Prison in lieu of $11,000 bond.

Rush allegedly broke numerous items in their FEMA trailer during an argument with his wife, then as she tried to walk out he struck her to the face, knocking her down on the porch area, the sheriff said.

The man then went to her and began choking her as she lay dazed on the ground until she was unconscious, the woman told investigating sheriff’s deputies. The woman had abrasions to the face, jaw injuries and abrasions on her neck and shoulders, a sheriff’s report of the incident said.

When she awoke she left to call the Sheriff’s Office.

Deputies found the FEMA trailer in total disarray, Sheriff Stephens said, and arrested Donald Rush, who was inside.

In the other unrelated incident, Nicole Lefebvre, 32, 2817 Kenilworth Drive, was booked on Tuesday, Sept. 23 with child desertion and domestic violence. She posted $2,000 bond at St. Bernard Parish Prison but was being held on arrest warrants from the state of Kentucky.

The two 2-year-old twin children who had allegedly been put in their father’s vehicle outside his mother’s home on Heights Drive in Poydras weren’t injured, Sheriff Stephens said.

The father, Michael Vicknair, 31, told sheriff’s deputies he saw Lefebvre arrive by vehicle but went into his mother’s home where he was staying. He said she cursed at him through the door and walked away, the sheriff said.

Several minutes later a neighbor yelled to him that she had placed two children in his vehicle and left, and he found them there, Vicknair told deputies. He said he didn’t know their mother had placed them there.

Lefebvre, when found by deputies, said she yelled through the door to Vicknair, after she saw him watching her through a window, that she was leaving the children in his vehicle, the sheriff said.

Sheriff Stephens said the neighbor told deputies after the woman left he saw the children in the vehicle and told their father.
 

	Lavell Cross, booked with second-degree murder in St. Bernard Parish
	Timothy Reddick, booked with second-degree murder in St. Bernard Parish.

Sep 24, 2008  - Two men, both from Plaquemines Parish, have been booked with second-degree murder in the death of a 20-year-old Chalmette man killed in a hail of gunfire through a door while he was visiting his half-brother the night of Monday, Sept. 22, Sheriff Jack Stephens said.

And authorities revealed the victim, Vantrel Bienemy, 413 Pierre St., who was shot three times about midnight, Sept. 22 at 503 Dubarry St. in Chalmette, wasn’t the intended target.

The half-brother, who lived at the residence where the shooting took place, was apparently the target of the two men in retaliation for a physical confrontation the night before the shooting between the half-brother and the older of the two arrested subjects, according to Chief Deputy Sheriff James Pohlmann.

That confrontation had apparently been over drugs, Pohlmann said.

“It’s sad’’ that a young person would be killed over something he apparently had nothing to do with, Pohlmann said.

Bienemy, also a native of Plaquemines Parish, had moved to St. Bernard Parish in May from Atlanta where he lived after Hurricane Katrina. “All of the people involved were displaced from Plaquemines Parish by the hurricane,’’ Pohlmann said.

He said the type of crime is disturbing and unusual for St. Bernard Parish.

“We’re not accustomed to this and we are not going to tolerate it,’’ Pohlmann said. “Murder is a difficult crime to prevent but when they occur in this parish we devote all resources to making an arrest.

“Our detectives, commanded by Chief of Detectives John Doran, did a hell of a job,’’ Pohlmann said. “One day later (after the murder) two men are in custody and two guns were recovered.’’

Arrested are Timothy Reddick, 42, of Pointe-a-la Hache, who is being held in St. Bernard Parish Prison in lieu of bond of $1 million for the second-degree murder charge and $50,000 for a separate burglary charge.

The other arrested subject, Lavell Cross, 21, of Plaquemines Parish but now living in Algiers and who is a nephew of Reddick, was arrested in New Orleans but was transferred to St. Bernard Parish Prison late Wednesday, Sept. 22. A bond of $2 million was set for Cross on Thursday, Sept. 25, and he remains jailed.

Reddick is a convicted sex offender but Cross didn’t have a previous criminal history, Pohlmann said, adding that sheriff’s detectives believe Reddick enlisted his nephew to go with him to the DuBarry Street residence in retaliation for the confrontation Reddick allegedly had with the victim’s half-brother.

“It seems the plan was to knock (on the door) and hope the half-brother answered the door,’’ Pohlmann said.

After the first knock on the door, the half-brother didn’t answer and also didn’t warn the victim not to go to the door, Pohlmann said. The Sheriff’s Office hasn’t released the name of the half-brother.

Authorities also said small bags of marijuana were found in the toilet of the residence where Bienemy was shot, leading to the conclusion drugs were flushed down the toilet before sheriff’s deputies arrived. No arrest has been made involving the drugs.

Reddick and Cross were arrested separately Tuesday night. Two 9 mm weapons were recovered in Cross’ residence but it hasn’t been determined which of he arrested men allegedly shot Bienemy. As many as 12 shots were fired, Pohlmann said.

One or more assailants fired through the front door of the DuBarry Street residence, striking Bienemy who had answered several knocks, then quickly closed the door, Pohlmann said. He said Bienemy may have been on his way outside to retrieve a bag that was outside when he saw the assailants and closed the door.

The victim was shot twice in the stomach area and once in the buttocks.

Several other people, including a young child, were in the residence but no one else was injured, Pohlmann said.

When the first knock came at the door, the half-brother asked who it was and got no response. There was a second knock on the door and Bienemy, who was on a cell phone and walking toward the door, opened it but quickly closed the door jiust before he was shot, Pohlmann said.

It was the third homicide of the year in St. Bernard Parish.

On Feb. 24 a Chalmette man allegedly shot and killed his girlfriend and then turned the gun on himself in an apparent murder-suicide and on Jan. 13 an elderly Arabi man was bludgeoned in the backyard of his home.

Sep 24, 2008 - The St. Claude Avenue Bridge across the Inner Harbor Navigational Canal will be closed to vehicular traffic as follows so that major maintenance can be made. This maintenance work has been coordinated to coincide with the Corps of Engineers' major maintenance of the lock, which has taken the lock out of service for maritime vessels until October. Having the bridge repairs coinciding with the lock repairs means the bridge will not be raised during this time.

The Port of New Orleans has also planned this work with the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development so that the Judge Seeber (Claiborne Avenue) bridge will not have any maintenance work scheduled during this time.

Pedestrian and vehicular traffic will be restricted as follows:

Closure of one eastbound lane and one westbound lane from 6 am Tuesday, September 23 to 6 pm Thursday, September 25

There will be closures of both eastbound lanes for short intervals between the hours of 9 am and 3 pm for positioning a crane at the bridge.

Alternate route for motorist is the Judge Seeber Bridge at Claiborne Avenue. The Florida Avenue bridge is not open to vehicular traffic yet because repair work on the approach roadway is still underway since Hurricane Gustav.

Sep 23, 2008 - A 20-year-old Chalmette man was pronounced dead at a hospital early Tuesday, Sept. 23, after he was shot inside his brother’s home by one or more intruders who fired numerous times through the front door when he answered several knocks and then quickly closed the door, Sheriff Jack Stephens said.

Vantrel Bienemy, 413 Pierre St., was shot three times in a home in the 500 block of Dubarry St., just off Paris Road, just before midnight on Monday, Sept. 22 and later was pronounced dead at University Hospital in New Orleans, the sheriff said.

The victim was shot twice in the stomach area and once in the buttocks.

No arrest has been made or a motive discovered but sheriff’s detectives are investigating, Sheriff Stephens said.

He said the victim, who had moved back to St. Bernard Parish in May from Atlanta where he lived after Hurricane Katrina, was visiting his brother, whose name wasn’t released.

An unknown number of people came to the brother’s door and knocked just before midnight, the sheriff said. The brother asked who it was and got no response. There was a second knock on the door and Vantrel Bienemy, who was on a cell phone and walking toward the door, answered but quickly closed the door, Sheriff Stephens said.

Numerous shots were fired through the closed door, striking the victim, the sheriff said.

It was the third homicide of the year in St. Bernard Parish.

On Feb. 24 a Chalmette man allegedly shot and killed his girlfriend and then turned the gun on himself in an apparent murder-suicide and on Jan. 13 an elderly Arabi man was bludgeoned in the backyard of his home.

Sep 23, 2008 - A Chalmette man surrendered peacefully to sheriff’s deputies about 7 p.m. Monday night, Sept. 22, after an eight-hour standoff in which he locked himself inside his home and threatened suicide after deputies tried to arrest him on warrants out of New Orleans, Sheriff Jack Stephens said.

The all-day incident, which began about 11 a.m., forced the evacuation of two neighboring homes in the 2600 block of Chalona Drive – just off East Judge Perez Drive - and closure of a section of the street for much of the afternoon.

Lance Webb, 29, who had taped a kitchen knife to each wrist and threatened to kill himself, spoke for hours with sheriff’s negotiators through a window before agreeing to come out,  said Chief Deputy Sheriff James Pohlmann.

Webb was booked into St. Bernard Parish Prison on misdemeanor charges of illegal carrying of weapons, resisting arrest and resisting arrest by flight from an officer.

He was being held on bond of $17,500 that was set on Tuesday morning, Sept. 23. He also faced four charges in New Orleans, where he was wanted on warrants for his arrest.

Sheriff’s deputies went to Webb's home about 11 a.m. on Sept. 22 to arrest him on domestic violence charges from New Orleans, Pohlmann said.

No one answered the door, but Webb drove up a short time later, Pohlmann said. Deputies stopped his car in the street, but Webb bolted into the house, locking the front door behind him, Pohlmann said.

He said officers didn’t believe he had a gun, but they evacuated two adjacent homes as a precaution.

Vega Ramiro

Sep 19, 2008 - A Chalmette man was booked with indecent behavior with a juvenile, a 16-year-old girl he allegedly touched inappropriately and kissed several times, St. Bernard Parish Sheriff Jack Stephens said.

Vega Ramiro, 47, 2421 Lena Drive, was arrested Wednesday night, Sept. 17, and is being held in St. Bernard Parish Prison in lieu of bond of $50,400.

The incident allegedly happened after the girl had come to Ramiro’s home looking for his son, Sheriff Stephens said.

The girl left the residence, went to a nearby home and told a woman there what had allegedly took place, then the Sheriff’s Office was called.

Ramiro was stopped for uestioning later while driving a vehicle in the neighborhood, the sheriff said.

Sheriff Stephens said the suspect acknowledged he made a suggestive comment to the girl but said he was joking with her.

Asked if he had touched or kissed her, Ramiro replied that he was drunk and didn’t remember, the sheriff said.

Sep 19, 2008 - A 16-year-old Chalmette boy accidentally shot himself inside his mother’s apartment on Tuesday, Sept. 16, while handling a gun stolen in a residence burglary that day and both he and two others teens have been arrested for the break-in, Sheriff Jack Stephens said.

The shooting victim, who shot himself to the side of the head, was hospitalized for two nights and was arrested on a burglary charge on Friday, Sept. 19, a day after his release, the sheriff said.

Also booked with burglary were two other teen-age males, Khristian Abadie, 17, 8401 Livingston Avenue, Chalmette; and a 16-year-old boy, both of whom also allegedly took part in the break-in of a residence near the shooting victim’s apartment, Sheriff Stephens said. A revolver and prescription pills were stolen.

The identities of the minors aren’t being released under state law that deals with juvenile arrestees. Both are being held in the St. Bernard juvenile detention center.

Abadie, also booked with two counts of contributing to the delinquency of the juveniles, is being held in St. Bernard Parish Prison in lieu of $51,000 bond.

The victim was conscious when taken to a hospital for treatment of the non life-threatening injury and wouldn’t say who shot him, Sheriff  Stephens said. 

Sheriff’s detectives developed information that the teen-ager’s injury was self-inflicted by accident and that he was handling a stolen gun, the sheriff said.

The gun involved was removed from the scene by one of the people who were in the apartment at the time.

Detectives, however, recovered the stolen gun in the vicinity of where one of the teen-agers was arrested, Sheriff Stephens said.

The incident happened in the 200 block of 8th Street, down the block from the entrance of Andrew Jackson Elementary School in Chalmette.

The injured teen-ager, inside his mother’s apartment while she was at work, shot himself about 3 p.m., about the time Andrew Jackson Elementary would let out for the day, the sheriff said.

The first sheriff’s deputies on the scene, out of an abundance of caution, notified school officials, who locked down the elementary school until the incident was investigated, the sheriff said.

This caused a delay for parents waiting outside to pick up their children but it couldn’t be avoided because of safety concerns for students, Sheriff Stephens said.

The sheriff and Schools Superintendent Doris Voitier said the lockdown was strictly according to emergency plans for schools that are designed to ensure students’ safety.

“It went according to procedure,’’ Voitier said. “There was good cooperation between the school and the Sheriff’s Office.’’

See Also: Teen-ager who accidentally shot himself with stolen gun in September arrested for firing a stolen rifle. 
 

Sep 17, 2008 - At the request of Governor Jindal, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) amended its disaster declaration for Hurricane Gustav to add all remaining categories of Public Assistance (PA) for 25 parishes.

The following parishes are now eligible for the FEMA Public Assistance (PA) program for categories C-G, which includes repairs to damaged public facilities: Acadia, Ascension, Assumption, Catahoula, East Baton Rouge, Grant, Iberia, Iberville, Jefferson, La Salle, Lafourche, Livingston, Natchitoches, Plaquemines, Pointe Coupee, St. Bernard, St. Helena, St. James, St. Landry, Tangipahoa, Vernon, Washington, West Baton Rouge, West Feliciana, and Winn.

The Governor's Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness is conducting Public Assistance Applicant Briefings throughout the state for applicants. The Governor requested that all 64 parishes be provided federal assistance following Hurricane Gustav, and is continuing to work with the federal government to add additional parishes to their declaration for assistance.

Tangipahoa Parish also reports four (4) businesses and one (1) fire station flooded during Hurricane Ike.

Damage assessments are ongoing at the local, state and federal levels.

Sep 16, 2008 - St. Bernard Parish sheriff’s detectives are investigating a non life-threatening shooting of a teenager that happened near Andrew Jackson Elementary School in Chalmette on Tuesday, Sept. 16, but emphasized it had nothing to do with any students or the school, Sheriff Jack Stephens said.

A male in his late teens was shot to the side of his head inside an apartment in the 200 block of Eighth Street down the street from the entrance of the school. He was conscious when taken to a hospital for treatment of the non life-threatening injury and wouldn’t say who shot him, Sheriff  Stephens said.  The gun wasn’t recovered at the scene and an investigation of the incident is continuing.

The teen, whose name wasn’t released, was in his mother’s apartment while she was at work and he was shot about 3 p.m., about when Andrew Jackson Elementary would close for the day.

The first sheriff’s deputies on the scene, out of an abundance of precaution, notified school officials and the school was locked down  until the incident was investigated. This caused a delay for parents waiting to pick up their children but it couldn’t be avoided, Sheriff Jack Stephens said, because of safety concerns for the students.

The sheriff and Schools Superintendent Doris Voitier said the lockdown was strictly according to emergency plans designed to ensure the safety.

“It went according to procedure,’’ Voitier said. “There was good cooperation between the school and the Sheriff’s Office.’

Sep 16, 2008 - The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Louisiana Recovery Field Office in Baton Rouge will have a Blue Roof Right of Entry collection site at the Community Center of St. Bernard, 1107 LeBeau St, Arabi, on Wednesday Sept. 17 and Friday, Sept. 19 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Residents who want to enroll in the program should:

1. Have a photo ID such as driver's license or proof of residency at the location.

2.  Know the kind of roof you have. Structures with flat roofs and tile roofs consisting of clay, slate or asbestos (transite) do not qualify. Mobile homes and roofs consisting of metal will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis.

3. The roof must have less than fifty percent structural damage to be eligible for the program.

4. The structure must be assessed as habitable once the blue roof is installed.

5. All debris must be removed from the roof for it to qualify.

6. The applicant has to sign a right-of-entry form.

A temporary Blue Roof is generally good for 30 days. For more information about the Blue Roof Program, please phone 1-888-766-3258.

Sep 15, 2008 - As of 3 p.m. today, more than 255,000 Disaster Food Stamp applications have been processed by the Department of Social Services. Nearly 30,000 of those were taken today. This comes on the day the USDA Food and Nutrition Services approved Louisiana’s request to give some individuals and families a second opportunity to apply for benefits after they were determined ineligible to receive Federal Disaster Food Stamps.

“This is great news for impacted residents and we strongly encourage them to return to the nearest application site to apply,” said Interim Department of Social Services Secretary Kristy Nichols. “We did not want a quirk in the calendar to hurt families that need this help and I’m glad the federal government responded to our request so quickly.”

Prior to receiving this waiver, DSS eligibility was based on all paychecks received during the disaster benefits period which started on August.29, 2008 and runs through September 27, 2008. Now that period has been changed to start and end one day later. This will impact many families who received three to five paychecks during that period and found themselves above the income threshold where normally that would not be the case. It will not affect families who have already applied, and received benefits.

 “We thank Governor Jindal for his leadership in making this possible for a number of Louisianans who were heavily impacted by Hurricane Gustav,” said Nichols. “The waiver allows us the flexibility to reach the goal of providing benefits to those families in need in Louisiana.”

Disaster Food Stamp applicants are asked to continue to monitor the Department of Social Service’s website as well as news reports for the most current information regarding site openings and hours of operation.

Participants in the regular state Food Stamp Program do not need to apply for disaster aid because any revised benefits will automatically be added to their current Electronic Benefit card.

Individuals with disabilities can designate an authorized representative to apply for Disaster Food Stamps on their behalf. Also, each site manager has developed special procedures for assisting the disabled. Applicants with these special needs should make themselves known to the site manager or staff at the site

In order to help the elderly and disabled, Council on Aging staff members have been trained to administer Disaster Food Stamps. People 60 years of age or older should contact their local parish Councils on Aging for the nearest Disaster Food Stamp Assistance Application Site for seniors. If the local Council on Aging is not available, seniors should contact the Governor's Office of Elderly Affairs at 1-877-340-9100.

For information about the schedules of the sites and to learn who is eligible to receive Disaster Food Stamps visit: www.dss.state.la.us or call 1-888-LAHELPU (1-888-524-3578).

Source: emergency.louisiana.gov

Sep 12, 2008 - Sheriff Jack Stephens said the St. Bernard Parish Sheriff’s Office has been assisting authorities in Assumption Parish – hard hit recently by Hurricane Gustav – by sending four deputies and vehicles to help with security as part of a reciprocal agreement through the Louisiana Sheriff’s Association, which helped St. Bernard after Hurricane Katrina.

The arrangement is temporary but should give some aid to the Assumption Sheriff’s Office, Sheriff Stephens said. Assumption, near Baton Rouge and includes the city of Napoleonville, was in the path of Hurricane Gustav on Labor Day. The hurricane didn’t cause heavy damage in St. Bernard.

“We’re grateful for the help our parish received after Katrina and wanted to repay the favor,’’ St. Bernard Chief Deputy Sheriff James Pohlmann said.

Sep 12, 2008 - St. Bernard Parish Sheriff Jack Stephens talks on a phone while on an airboat at the scene of flooding from Hurricane Ike at Verret on the Lousiana 46 Extension in the eastern part of the parish on Friday, Sept. 12.

The sheriff, with flooding on the highway shown behind him, said the high water outside the hurricane levee protection system was probably worse than expected. "It was surprising how high the tide came up,'' Sheriff Stephens said, saying it's another reminder of the loss of marshlands over the years on St. Bernard's coastline. The sheriff's airboat was used to evacuate more than a dozen residents trapped in the lower end of the parish after a voluntary evacuation was called for by parish government.

St. Bernard Parish sheriff's deputies manned a checkpoint near the Plaquemines Parish line, where flood gates were closed and sandbags were used to re-enforce a wall.

Sep 12, 2008 - Hurricane Ike didn’t strike a direct blow to St. Bernard Parish but its sustained high winds and gusts up to 80 mph in easternmost parts of the parish was responsible for pushing tides that inundated fishing villages outside the hurricane protection levee system, reflooding areas affected just two weeks ago by Hurricane Gustav.

There was heavy flooding on Louisiana 46 Extension, past the junction to Shell Beach – Delacroix Island – and nearly reached the Verret hurricane protection levee.

There wasn’t any flooding inside the hurricane levee system in St. Bernard but winds battered homes in western St. Bernard all night on Thursday, Sept. 11.

“These heavy tides were a surprise,’’ given that Ike’s direct hit was on the Texas coastline, said St. Bernard Parish Sheriff Jack Stephens, who lives at Shell Beach in one of the easternmost parts of St. Bernard.

He said the high water was another reminder of how badly the marsh off St. Bernard’s coast has been eroded over the years.

Because of the high water, the sheriff called for a dusk to dawn curfew for areas outside the hurricane levee system on Friday night, Sept. 12.

Parish president Craig Taffaro Jr. and the Parish Council issued a voluntary evacuation decree for residents living outside the hurricane levee system.

Many of those residents had just returned from evacuating for Hurricane Gustav.

On Friday, Sept. 12, some residents of the eastern areas were being taken out by sheriff’s airboat.

On Thursday, as the water was rising, attempts were made by parish government employees, using sandbags made by St. Bernard trusty prisoners from Parish Prison, to form a dam to stop the water on Florissant Highway off Louisiana 46 Extension.

But by the morning of Sept. 12 the water had pushed much further west, nearing the levee at Verret.

The flood gates near the border of St. Bernard and the East Bank of Plaquemines Parish was also sandbagged on Sept. 12 to help stop seepage.

A truck leaves the Shell Beach area late Thuesday afternoon, Sept. 11, as water continues to rise on Florissant Highway in eastern St. Bernard Parish. A voluntary evacuation was requested of residents living outside the hurricane protection levee system.		A truckload of sandbags are unloaded by parish government workers for a dam built at the tride protection levee on Florissant Highway, heading toward Shell Beach and Yscloskey during a surge brouht on by Hurricane Ike.

 Sep 12, 2008 - Due to unsafe weather conditions, the Food Stamp Distribution Program will begin in St. Bernard Parish on Monday, September 15, 2008 from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. The program will run Monday through Saturday from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. The Program will be located at the Christian Fellowship Church, 5816 E. Judge Perez Drive, Violet, LA.  Click Here to View Map.

Sep 11, 2008 - Commissioner of Administration Angele Davis announced today that because of threats posed by Hurricane Ike, state government offices will be closed on Friday, September 12th, in the following parishes with voluntary and mandatory evacuations:

Allen, Beauregard, Calcasieu, Cameron, Iberia, Jefferson, Jefferson Davis, Lafourche, Plaquemines, St. Bernard, St. Martin, St. Mary, Terrebonne, Vermilion

All agency heads are responsible for determining those essential personnel who should remain on duty.

State employees should monitor and heed media updates regarding mandatory and voluntary evacuations. They should also monitor media for updates on office closures as well as announcements of when offices are scheduled to reopen. Those announcements will be made by the Commissioner of Administration. In addition, employees should be aware of the 800 number and the local phone number, which will be updated with information regarding office closures. The numbers to call: 1-800-360-9660 or 225-342-0498.

For the latest information on hurricanes Gustav and Ike, visit emergency.louisiana.gov.

Sep 11, 2008 - A Chalmette man was booked with obstruction of justice and possession of drug paraphernalia after the heroin-related death of another man, Sheriff Jack Stephens said 

Michael Armstrong Jr., 33, 2501 Victor Drive, was arrested Wednesday, Sept. 10 after the death of Jimmy Ragas, 33, 2417 Lena Drive, both of Chalmette, the sheriff said.

According to sheriff's Special Investigations Divison, Armstrong brought Ragas home after Ragas apparently began to suffer seizures after the two had used heroin.  The investigation found Ragas’ father called for an ambulance and when emergency medical technicians arrived Ragas was pronounced dead. Armstrong stayed at the scene.  Investigators found found drug paraphernalia in Armstrong’s vehicle.

Armstrong and Ragas allegedly went to New Orleans, purchased heroin and used the drug there, then returned to 2501 Victor Drive in Chalmette before Ragas began having seizures and Armstrong brought him home.  Armstrong is being held in St. Bernard Parish Prison in lieu of $25,500 bond.

Sep 11, 2008 - Drowning was the cause of death of a St. Bernard Parish woman whose body was found Wednesday, Sept. 10 in waters just off the end of Yscloskey Highway at Shell Beach, Sheriff Jack Stephens said.

Sarina M. LeBouef, 38, of the Poydras area, was found just offshore in the Mississippi River – Gulf Outlet, near where it intersects with Bayou Yscloskey, within feet of the monument to Hurricane Katrina victims at the end of Yscloskey Highway at Shell Beach.

An autopsy found the cause of death to be an accidental drowning with no signs of a struggle or other evidence of foul play.

She was found in the water about 9:45 a.m. by utility workers.

It appeared she had been sitting at the edge of the water when she slipped in, based on evidence her purse and cell phone were there and her vehicle parked nearby.
 

Sep 11, 2008 - Residents will now be able to fill out applications for Disaster Food Stamps in St. Bernard Parish, beginning Saturday, Sept. 13, if winds from Hurricane Ike subside.

The location at Christian Fellowship Church, 5816 E. Judge Perez Drive in Violet will be open Monday through Saturday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., beginning Saturday, Sept. 13. It will be closed on Sundays.

If you receive aid in the form of Food Stamps right now, you will automatically be given a 20% increase in your regular monthly benefits for the month of September only.

To start the process, every applicant must bring the Social Security number of every household member. You may also call 1-888-524-3578 or 1-888-LAHELPU or visit the www.emergency.louisiana.gov website for additional requirements.

If found eligible, you will be provided an EBT card and benefits will be loaded on the card within 72 hours.

Some of the basic requirements include the following:

You and your family must have been living in one of the parishes included in the DFSP Disaster Area on August 29, 2008.
Your household must meet the income limits to qualify to receive benefits from the DFSP.  
Your household must have experienced one or more of the following as a direct result of Hurricane Gustav:   

Loss of Food;
Damage to, or destruction of, your home or self-employment business;
Disaster-related expenses for which you do not expect to be reimbursed during the disaster benefit period; or
Loss or inaccessibility of income, including reduction or termination of income, or a significant delay in receipt of income due to the disaster. 
At the application interview, you will be expected to provide:

Verification of identify of the head of the household and that of an authorized representative who is applying on behalf of the head of household. You can provide a driver's license, picture ID, work or school ID, voter registration card, pay stubs, birth certificate, an ID for health benefits or another assistance or social services program.
Names and Social Security Numbers of all persons residing in your household on 8/29/08.
Verification of you and your household's residence on 8/29/08.
Information regarding income and bank accounts for all members in your household. It would be helpful if you could provide pay stubs, pay statements, and/or bank statements.
The benefit will range depending upon how many people are in the household.

1 person = $162
2 people = $268
3 people = $426
4 people = $542
5 people = $643
6 people = $772
7 people = $853
8 people = $975

Each additional person would be worth $122 of additional benefit.

Tune to the local media for information. Also, St. Bernard Parish Government will be issuing updates on its website at www.sbpg.net, on its cable access station at channel 76 for Cox Communications customers and on its emergency communications radio station at 1680-AM.

Sep 11, 2008 - Louisiana Economic Development (LED), U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), Louisiana Small Business Development Center Network (LSBDC) and regional economic development partners today announced the opening of five Business Counseling Centers, created to assist businesses adversely affected by Hurricane Gustav.

The centers, located in Baton Rouge, Metairie, Thibodaux, Carencro and Alexandria will provide free, one-on-one consultations with SBA customer service representatives and LSBDC counselors. Services include assessing business economic injury, assistance with SBA Disaster Loan program, evaluating the business's strength, cash flow projections and most importantly, a review of all options to ensure each business makes the right financial decisions.

Louisiana Business Counseling Center locations are:

Louisiana Technology Park, LLC
7117 Florida Boulevard
Baton Rouge, La. 70806
225.218.1100

LSBDC Greater New Orleans Region
UNO Jefferson Center
3330 N. Causeway, Suite 422
Metairie, La. 70002
504.831.3730

South Louisiana Economic Business Assistance Center
629 East First St.
Thibodaux, La. 70301
985.446.6023 (active 9.12.08)

Enterprise Center of Louisiana
3419 N.W. Evangeline Thruway
Carencro, La. 70520-9000
337.896.9115

LSBDC at Alexandria
Dunbar Plaza Suite 114
3600 Jackson Street Extension
Alexandria, La. 71303
318.484.2123

Centers are scheduled to be open Mondays through Fridays, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. For additional information on the state's Business Counseling Center locations or to sign up for e-mail updates on business assistance, please visit LouisianaForward.com/BizHelp.

Louisiana Business Counseling Centers are not associated with FEMA Disaster Recovery Centers. To contact FEMA for assistance, please call 1.800.621.FEMA or visit www.FEMA.gov

SBA is the federal government's primary source of money for the long-term rebuilding of disaster-damaged private property. SBA helps homeowners, renters, businesses of all sizes, and private non-profit organizations fund repairs or rebuilding efforts, and cover the cost of replacing lost or disaster-damaged personal property. These disaster loans cover uninsured and uncompensated losses and do not duplicate benefits of other agencies or organizations. For information about SBA programs, applicants may call 800-659-2955 (TTY 800-877-8339).

Sep 10, 2008 - St. Bernard Parish President Craig P. Taffaro, Jr. and members of the Parish Council held a press conference Wednesday to announce the details of the voluntary evacuation of the area of St. Bernard Parish outside the hurricane protection levees.

The call for a voluntary evacuation is a response to the National Weather Service update at 4 p.m. today, September 10, 2008. During the update, the National Weather Service stated that St. Bernard Parish could experience storm surge of 4 to 6 feet.  The situation could be worsened with the expected high tide tomorrow around midday. The high tide could raise the water level 2 feet, and then the surge could build on top of that high tide.

As of 6 p.m. today, September 10, 2008, Taffaro called a state of emergency for the areas of St. Bernard outside of the hurricane protection levees.

The voluntary evacuation order for the unprotected areas will be in effect at 8 p.m. tonight.

The water is not expected to fall until late Friday night or early Saturday morning.

Anyone who chooses to stay in the areas outside of the protection levees are urged to have supplies of water and food to last for several days. The rising water will probably make most roads impassable.

The St. Bernard Parish Sheriffʼs Office is starting to travel the areas outside of the levee protection system to announce the voluntary evacuation.

The Bayou Bienvenue and Bayou Dupre locks are closed at this time and will be closed until the Lake Borgne Levee District has determined that it is safe for them to be re-opened.

There is no voluntary evacuation order or recommended evacuation order for the areas of St. Bernard Parish within the hurricane protection levees.

Tune to the local media for information. Also, St. Bernard Parish Government will be issuing updates on its website at www.sbpg.net, on its cable access station at channel 76 for Cox Communications customers and on its emergency communications radio station at 1680-AM

Sep 10, 2008 - The Office of Coastal Protection and Restoration (OCPR) is coordinating with levee districts across Southeast Louisiana as well as the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to close floodgates and direct the necessary resources to reinforce storm protection systems in advance of the approach of Hurricane Ike to the western Gulf of Mexico.

Storm surge gates have been closed at the following locations:

• Bayou Bienvenue in St. Bernard Parish
• The Harvey Canal on the West Bank of Jefferson Parish
• Bayou Lafourche in Golden Meadow
• Bayou Little Caillou in Terrebonne Parish
• Bayou Terrebonne in Terrebonne Parish
   

OCPR levee and wetland officials worked with levee districts and the Corps of Engineers well in advance of Gustav's landfall and have since been directing the necessary resources to repair any damages in preparation for Ike.

Ike is forecast to make landfall along the central Texas coast as a major Category 3 or possibly Category 4 hurricane either late Friday, Sept. 12 or early morning Saturday, Sept. 13.

Tropical storm condit! ions are expected across the Louisiana coast as early as Thursday, Sept. 11 with offshore waves reaching as high as 25 feet in some locations. Storm surges could reach five feet or higher in parts of central and western Louisiana, according to the National Weather Service.

More information about flood gate closures will be made available as it is obtained.

For more information about flood protection efforts in the wake of Gustav and in preparation for Ike, please contact Chris Macaluso at 225-229-2051.

Sep 10, 2008 - Elderly or disabled persons who qualify for “Power to Care,” energy assistance, which used to be called “Helping Hands,” may apply for help with repairs for electrical meter pans damaged by Hurricane Gustav.

Those people may apply for assistance from the St. Bernard Parish Council on Aging, but they must call 504-278-4335 to make an appointment. The office at 8201-W. Judge Perez Drive in Chalmette is open Mondays through Fridays from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.

	A portion of items recovered in the arrests of six people in hurricane-related looting cases, including a projection TV

Sep 9, 2008 - St. Bernard Parish sheriff’s detectives have arrested five men and a 16-year-old boy and recovered numerous stolen items in connection with looting cases during the period of Hurricane Gustav, and more arrests are expected, Sheriff Jack Stephens said on Tuesday, Sept. 9.

Most of those arrested, between Friday, Sept. 5 and Monday, Sept. 8,  were from a ring operating in the Violet area, the sheriff said. He said one business burglary and eight residence burglaries were cleared with the arrests.

“It’s unfortunate that some thugs wanted to take advantage of the situation in which St. Bernard residents were evacuated under threat of a hurricane,’’ Chief Sheriff’s Deputy James Pohlmann said. “But the fortunate thing is we have been making arrests, and take a zero tolerance attitude. We’re not going to put up with it.’’

Reports of burglaries were made after residents returned to the parish from the mandated evacuation for Hurricane Gustav.

Information on suspects was developed by sheriff’s detectives, led by Chief of Detectives John Doran.  Several search warrants were executed at the residences of suspects, where stolen items were recovered, the sheriff said.

Further arrests are expected as detectives gather more information.

Evidence recovered included a 50-inch projection television, numerous amounts of clothing stolen in the burglary of a clothing store in Violet, computer equipment, CD players and other electronic gear, authorities said.

Suspects arrested in St. Bernard during the evacuation period were turned over to the Louisiana Department of Corrections, which removed them to a state prison for holding.

Three suspects in the latest arrests are being held in St. Bernard Parish Prison, the teen-ager is being held in the parish juvenile detention center and one of the men went to a state prison on Sept. 5 but will be sent back to St. Bernard. The other suspect was released on bond.

Those arrested include: the juvenile, booked with three counts of looting and whose name can’t be released under state law; Freddie Huguet of Chalmette, no age available, booked with two counts of looting and is being held on bond of $255,000; Troy Colston, 22, of Chalmette, booked with three counts of looting and one count of possession of stolen property and is held on $50,000 bond; Arthur Packard Jr. of Violet, no age available, one count of looting and one count of possession of stolen property and is being held on $250,000 bond; Alvin Duplessis, 39, of Violet, booked with possession of stolen property and is being held on $45,000 bond; and Quentin Blaise, 20, of Chalmette, booked with possession of stolen property. He was released on bond but there wasn’t any information available on the amount.
 

Sep 9, 2008 - The Louisiana Department of Revenue (LDR) has granted extensions on the filing and payment deadlines for more than a dozen state taxes in the aftermath of Hurricane Gustav.

The extensions are available in the 36 parishes declared federal disaster areas by President Bush. They are: Acadia, Allen, Ascension, Assumption, Avoyelles, Beauregard, Cameron, East Baton Rouge, East Feliciana, Evangeline, Iberia, Iberville, Jefferson, Jefferson Davis, Lafayette, Lafourche, Livingston, Orleans, Plaquemines, Pointe Coupee, Rapides, Sabine, St. Bernard, St. Charles, St. James, St. John the Baptist, St. Landry, St. Martin, St. Mary, St. Tammany, Tangipahoa, Terrebonne, Vermilion, Vernon, West Baton Rouge and West Feliciana. If additional parishes are declared Gustav disaster areas by President Bush, they will receive the same relief.

The extensions are available for state excise, sales, and severance taxes with filing dates between Sept. 1, and Sept. 30, 2008. The disaster-related filing deadline is October15.

In order to claim the filing extension, write "Hurricane Gustav" in BLACK at the top of your return.

For more information about hurricane-related tax filing extensions, visit www.revenue.louisiana.gov.
For the latest information on the recovery from Hurricane Gustav, visit emergency.louisiana.gov or call the state's emergency hotline at 1-866-288-2484 to listen to a recorded message with the most up-to-date information.

Sep 9, 2008 - Homeowners, renters and business owners affected by Hurricane Gustav are encouraged to register for assistance by calling the toll-free registration line at 1-800-621-FEMA (3362) (TTY 1-800-462-7585) which is open 24 hours a day seven days a week. Applicants also may register on-line at www.fema.gov

Currently there are no Disaster Recovery Centers scheduled for St. Bernard Parish.  However, Disaster Recovery Center staff can answer questions about registration for disaster assistance and hazard mitigation, help with disaster loan applications and provide information and contacts for other programs.  Residents are encouraged to register prior to visiting a Disaster Recovery Center.

Officials remind affected residents who have already filled out damage report forms with the state, parish emergency managers or voluntary agencies that they must register with FEMA at the above numbers or Web site to be considered for federal assistance.

U.S. Small Business Administration representatives at the Disaster Recovery Centers will meet individually with each applicant to provide assistance in completing his or her disaster loan application and to accept completed disaster loan applications.  Returning the applications is an essential part of the disaster recovery process even for individuals who do not want a loan.

SBA offers low-interest disaster loans to homeowners, renters, businesses of all sizes and private nonprofit organizations for losses not fully covered by insurance. The SBA may loan up to $200,000 to repair or replace homes and up to $40,000 to repair or replace personal property. Up to $2 million is available for uncompensated business disaster losses.

Residents and business owners can receive information about SBA disaster loans and help with the application process by calling the SBA at 1-800-659-2955 or visiting the SBA Web site at www.sba.gov

Sep 6, 2008 - According to Chief Judge Jacques Sanborn, criminal and civil court will resume Monday September 8, 2008.  The courts will resume normal business hours. Any information regarding courts schedules or court business should be directed to the Clerk of Court's Office at 1101 W. St. Bernard Highway, Chalmette, Louisiana 70043.  Their office hours are Monday to Friday 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Their telephone number is 504-271-3434.  Their website is http://www.stbclerk.com/
 

Areas outside the hurricane levee system in eastern St. Bernard Parish remained under water for days after Hurricane Gustav. Shown is a vehicle on Florissant Highway.		Trinity church group volunteers cook for St. Bernard residents.
Claud Clark of the Trinity Presbyterian Church in Fairhope, Ala., who headed a volunteer group that ccooked food and distributed in Chalmette on Sept. 3		A long forms as the Salvation Army distributes meals in Chalmette.

Sep 5, 2008 - St. Bernard Parish leaders breathed a sigh of relief over being spared a direct hit by Hurricane Gustav, but a parishwide electrical outage for several days created problems for residents who were allowed to begin returning home on Wednesday, Sept. 3, although power was expected to be restored to all areas shortly.
 
A mandatory evacuation of the parish was called for on Saturday, Aug. 30, and it was estimated less than 500 residents stayed for the storm, which parish officials said was a suceess. Two arrests were made during the evacuation for burglary and theft and, as announed in advance by the sheriff, arrested suspects were turned over to Louisiana Department of Corrections officials who removed them from St. Bernard to a state prison.
 
A curfew was established in St. Bernard by the Sheriff's Office until electrcity was mostly restored. several arrests were made for curfew violations.
 
The parish received no flooding inside the hurricane levee system, although there was flooding outside the levee system in the eastern part of St. bernard. Forecasts by the National Weather Service as late as Saturday, Aug. 30, showed there might be significant impact to St. Bernard but Gustav lessened in power and kept moving west of the New Orleans area, bringing mostly minor wind damage to St. Bernard residences and businesses.
 
"Someone said it was too bad the Labor Day weekend was messed up,'' St. Bernard Parish Sheriff Jack Stephens said. "But when we didn't get any flooding inside the levee system it was really Thanksgiving Day for us in St. Bernard Parish.''
 
Parish President Craig Taffaro Jr. said it was a blessing Gustav didn't cause more damage but the electricity problem was a detriment to residents returning afterward because unless someone had access to generators the living conditions were hostile for young children, the elderly and the sick. The President said that with the power being restored the top priority "is getting our residents back so we can refocus on a continuing permanent recovery.
 
Parish public schools ware scheduled to open Sept. 8 if electricity was fully restored, which was expected.
 
Debris removal from the storm will begin the week of Sept, 8 and parish residents should put items to be picked up at the side of the curb, Taffaro said, adding garbage pickup has been re-established on its regular schedule. Sheriff Stephens said that outside the hurricane levee system the problem with debris from gustav "is almost as bad as after Katrina.''
 
Businesses using generators for power reopened on the day residents were allowed back in. A church group from Alabama and the Salvation Army came in to prepare meals for several hundred rsidents who couldn't cook their own food because of the power outage.

Despite the good luck with Hurricane Gustav, parish leaders will have to keep a wary eye on other storms that were possibly heading to the U.S.mainland.

Both Taffaro and Stephens said the process of preparation for the storm, parish evacuation and re-entry, as well as communications and coordination between parish agencies, and the state and federal authorities, went amazingly well.

"Everything went smoothly,'' Sheriff Stephens said.
 
Gov. Bobby Jindals visited St. Bernard Parish on Sept. 3, meeting with the president and sheriff.
 
"The leadership here is the reason St. Bernard is coming back strong,'' post Hurricane Katrina, the governor said.
 
Jindal asked what his office could do to aid in the aftermath of Gustav and the sheriff said it would be important to hold some type of summit with FEMA officials for parish government and Sheriff's Office to get caught up on reimbursement for funding still owed by FEMA and the state for projects undertaken since Hurricane Katrina and to set up criteria for reimbursement for Gustav work.
 
St. Bernard had several volunteer groups come in to help distribute items to residents, including the Trinity Presbyterian Church of Fairhope, Ala., near Mobile, and the Salvation Army from New Orleans.
 
"These folks need a hot meal and a pat on the back,'' coordinator Claud Clark of the trinity church group said as his volunteers grilled chicken and sausage for lunch for several hundred who lined up Thursday, Sept. 4 in an old service station parking lot at Paris Road and Judge Perez Drive in Chalmette.The church group was active in helping out along the Mississippi Gulf Coast after Katrina and decided to come over to St. Bernard Parish after Gustav, Clark said.
 
The Salvation Army distributed meals from a corner on the opposite side of the Paris Road-Judge Perez Drive intersection.
 
Ice and meals were also being given out at other points in the parish.

(Source: http://emergency.louisiana.gov/Releases/090408employees.html)

Sep 4, 2008 -- Commissioner of Administration Angele Davis announced the closure of state government offices on Friday, September 5, 2008, due to Hurricane Gustav, in the following parishes:

Lafourche, Plaquemines, St. Bernard, St. Charles, Terrebonne, Ascension, Assumption, East Baton Rouge, East Feliciana, Iberville, Pointe Coupee, St. James, West Baton Rouge, West Feliciana, Livingston, St. Helena, St. John the Baptist, St. Tammany

All state employees who work in a state facility located in parishes not listed above should report to work, unless they are instructed by their supervisors to either not report to work or to vacate their work sites due to unforeseen electrical outages or damages.

All essential personnel, as well as employees that are required to work due to Hurricane Gustav, should report to work as directed by their supervisors.

All agency heads are responsible for determining those personnel who should remain on duty.

State employees should monitor media regarding office closures as well as announcements of when offices are scheduled to reopen. Those announcements will be made by the Commissioner of Administration. In addition, employees should be aware of the 800 number and the local phone number, which will be updated with information regarding office closures. The numbers to call: 1-800-360-9660 or 225-342-0498.

For the latest information on Hurricane Gustav, visit emergency.louisiana.gov or call the state's emergency hotline at 1-866-288-2484 to listen to a recorded message with the most up-to-date information.
 

Sep 4, 2008 - Neither criminal nor civil court will be held in St. Bernard Parish until further notice, by order of Chief Judge Jacques Sanborn.

The court system is suspended pending restoration of electricity in the parish.
 

Sep 4, 2008 - The following are Businesses that have reopened or shortly will in St. Bernard Parish:

• Winn-Dixie Supermarket on Paris Road will be open Friday, Sept. 5 from noon to 5 p.m. and from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. from the next day on.
• Chevron in Arabi at the corner of Perrin and Judge Perez. This is the store only, no gasoline.
• Murphy Gasoline Station in the Wal-Mart parking lot on West Judge Perez Drive
• Home Depot on West Judge Perez Drive
• Main's Chalmette Market on West Judge Perez Drive
• The Red Pearl Restaurant on East Judge Perez Drive
• Walgreen's at the corner of Judge Perez Drive and Paris Road
• Waffle House on Paris Road
• Hoffer's Discount Store at Paris Road and Judge Perez, store only, no gasoline.

Also, there are also 3 gas stations open on Crowder Blvd. in eastern New Orleans.
 

Call 1-800-621-FEMA or go to www.fema.gov

Sep 3, 2008 - St. Bernard Parish President Craig P. Taffaro Jr. wants residents to know they can now call FEMA for help with Individual Assistance.

Residents can apply by calling 1-800-621-FEMA, which is 1-800-621-3362 or they can apply online at www.fema.gov. The TTY line for hearing impaired is 1-800-462-7585.

Disaster Assistance Available from FEMA
http://www.fema.gov/assistance/process/assistance.shtm

Click the above link to go directly to this page on the FEMA site for further information. (Will Open a New Page)
On the FEMA website, you can learn about assistance available because of the disaster declaration including

Disaster Assistance Available from FEMA

• Housing Needs
• Other than Housing Needs
• Additional Services

Sep 3, 2008 - Pastor Randy Millet of Adullam Christian Fellowship has announced he will offer free meals St. Bernard Parish residents at his church on St. Bernard Highway in Arabi.

Dinner will be served on Wednesday, Sept. 3 from 6 to 7 p.m.

Starting Thursday, Sept. 5, free meals will be served at the following times:

• Breakfast: from 7 to 9 a.m.
• Lunch: 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
• Dinner: 5 to 7 p.m.

Residents should come with St. Bernard Parish identification and come as close to 5 p.m. for dinner as possible because Sheriff Jack Stephens wants all residents off the roads by dark for curfew.

Sep 3, 2008 - As of this time, St. Bernard Parish Government has been able to confirm the following Chalmette business openings:

• Main's Grocery and Gas
• Walgreens
• Home Depot

The following businesses are reportedly trying to open later on Wednesday:

• Ponstein's, corner of Paris Road and Genie Street
• Hoffer's, corner of Judge Perez Drive and Paris Roadn Dixie on Paris Road

Sep 2, 2008 - St. Bernard Parish will be opened to residents only beginning at 6 a.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 3 but Parish President Craig Taffaro Jr. and Sheriff Jack Stephens said the only entrnace point will be on Paris Road in Chalmette, an I.D. will be required and a curfew will remain in effect.

Both said residents should think about whether they really need to return at this time because there is still no electricity in the parish and it could be a week or more before power is fully restored throughout the entire parish.

"Residents should understand the conditions here,'' Taffaro said. "You will be entering a parish without electricity. We want them to understand this isn't an environment with full functioning services. However, gas, water and sewerage systems are in working order."

All roads are passable in areas within the hurricane protection levee, although there was flooding outside the levee system in eastern St. Bernard.

Sep 1, 2008 - St. Bernard Parish Sheriff Jack Stephens, while cautiously optimitist about the Parish's fate with Hurricane Gustav said the curfew is still in effect and that all parish entrances remain closed.

"Anyone still in the parish must remain in their homes and not ride around the parish", said Sheriff Stephens.  The 24-hour curfew is still in effect until further notice.

All entrances to the parish remain closed and neither residents or non-residents are being allowed in the parish until further notice according the Sheriff.