News from St. Bernard

A friend of mine sent me this account of her boyfriend's experience in St. Bernard Parish.  I post it here for what it's worth:

"If you've noticed, there has been no or very little mension of St. Bernard.  That's because it was really bad there and there was no help.  They were not helping anyone get out.  It was just people helping people.  Helicopters actually flew over and just took pictures didn't try to help anyone.  He has six rolls of film.  [He] got a boat and actually rescued people.  He broke into a two story house and stayed there.  There were bodies everywhere of people and animals.  He also mentioned that right before the mass flood there was a loud sound like an explosion. We think they may have blew up the levee and trying to keep it quiet. That's why they are not mentioning anything about us.  Yesterday they made their way to Paris Road when they realized they were not being rescued there, got into a dump truck that brought them to a barge then they got on a bus towoard lake charles which then denied them shelter.  He caught a cab from the Lafayette airport this morning and arrived here this afternoon."

Yep, it's mostly "just people helping people" out there.  The government is apparently not sufficiently prepared to deal with this.

Comments

[Lana]

Has anyone seen Delores and Frank Brossett? They live in StBernard.

[parish resident]

When the water goes down, you show me the hole 'They' blew in the levee (for WHATreason?)I believe St Bernard may be getting overlooked in favor of more populated areas,but there will be enough finger-pointing later.

--(former) Parish residentPS- "Mandatory evacuation" means "You must leave now." Those who CHOSE to stayendanger rescuers as well as themselves. I'm done now; God bless and protect theresidents of St. Bernard.

[Sandra Bernard]

Looking for Aunt- Has anyone heard from a Evelyn Gerdes Mountifue ofMehle Street Arabi Louisiana. We are looking for her. This is Sandra Ann in Floridain Florida 386-756-6563 or email mcrforever@netzero.com

[Irvan]

As a resident of Arabi I'm so sick of seeing the mediafocus on NOLA and nothing is being said of St.Bernard andTHEY probably did BLOW the Damn levee!!! Those savages inthe city give respectful people like us a blackeye in theeyes of the entire world via doom and gloom liberial media!!!

[dee]

They blew up the levee in 1965 Hurricane Betsyy, wh

[casey]

the way the water came up im sure they blew the levee and to our parish president regardless of a mandatory evacuation thegoverment or the GREAT POLICE (yeah right) did nothing to help anyone BUT THEMSELVES. We have a really screwed up police forceand a screwed up goverment!!! We as a community came together and saved one another. So fuck you junior.

[carly]

Does anyone have pics of St. Bernard Manor on ARchbish?I'm housing an elderly fellow from there and he wouldlike pics of the place. Please send them toinlifeafterlove@yahoo.com.

[angelica]

I am so disheartened at this whole mess of broken lives, the loss\\\\\\\the lack of compation to those less unfortunate may God convict all who have not taken steps to help these poor people on the Gulf coast.I thank my God that he does have a fair heart and will judge us all accordingly.PRAISE GOD FOR THIS.I will also pray that God heals the pain for all the families involved or caught within this wave of political masacure,may God forgive them for there lack of being called to be a good stuard to there camunities and the people who believed in them.I cant belive that greed has brought those most fortunate to a place to take advantage of them less fortunate.I have listed for a family to come to canada but NO calls hm????????My heart trully are with you all who are in the midst of the worst crisis in your lives,I am going to ask God to rise you all above them who think life was for them only,again may we find it in our hearts to forgive them animals who also could have put stuff on there seats instead of taking someone whom asked for help to get out to safty as well.I am so glad I do nat have to live with this on my concience for the rest of the days God has planed for you.May the peace of the Lord be with each of you and your loved ones as well.

[CASTANEDA]

I live in chalmette,la.and ihave been checking the netnot once have they showedanything about village square.Iknow that there are other placesthat may be in more need,but thatdoesn't help those from the villagesquare.If anyone knows the conditionof plantation drive, please post themon this site as i check it everyday.

[Richard Reysack III]

My hometown in St. Bernard Parish was completely devastated. My Fiance and myself were able to get into the area my father lived three days ago. I found my fathers remain and he has since been recovered and am awaiting the release for burial after the autopsy.There are many still missing in Louisiana and Mississippi. Some will be found in the days to come but many will be gone forever with no trace. I saw first hand the ravaged area of St. Bernard Parish. I witnessed both destruction and death first hand. Unfortunately the News Media is not showing the worst of this disaster. I can tell you from first hand experience that it is nothing anyone can imagine.I witnessed cars, boats, refrigerators, and all sorts of items in trees, stacked on top of one another. I saw whole homes pushed into the middle of the streets. I saw the ravages of water destruction in my fathers home. I will never forget the mental images of finding my fathers body. I will never forget the images of my hometown and the scenes of devastation.There is good news of the resilience and fortitude of people pulling together in this terrible tragedy. I spoke with many in my area and heard first hand the stories of heroism. People risking their own lives to rescue many. I spoke with an officer for the St. Bernard Parish Sheriffs office the day I found my father. He spoke of the 5000 people that a handful of sheriffs rescued. Going many hours without sleep to find people alive.There will be many people found still in their homes like my father was found. There will be many questions asked of how this could happen. There will be many fingers pointed to who was at blame. No one person can be blamed for what has happened. The whole system failed the people of the Gulf coast. I am asking everyone here if they have any information as to rumors of explosions in the New Orleans area causing the levees to break.Anyone from St. Bernard and the surrounding area with fact information to send to the following email address. It is (katrinahitandrun@yahoo.com). I want to let all who live in this area to contact me so that we can be a family to recover from this tragedy.I want to be able to get to the bottom of the rumors of why the levees broke and flooded the New Orleans area. I to have questions as everyone else of the failures of our government. I am concerned how the money making area of New Orleans got so much attention and the rest was forsaken. I want to know why I am finding out from several sources that say they heard an explosion. I want to know why the government was so focused on the French quarters and not St. Bernard.Irregardless of what order to evacuate was given, why did it take so long for someone to rescue those still alive in St. Bernard, Plaquemine, and New Orleans east. It is my belief that once again history has repeated itself. I believe that the 17th street canal broke because someone was hiding the fact that the lower 9th ward levee was blown again.

[Kathy Tompkins]

I lived at 3701 Plaza, Chalmette. Anyone knowing whereabouts of GinaWalthers and Darlene Schwall, please contact me. Also, Brother EldonBaker, need to find. Would also like pictures or information on myneighborhood. Many thanks and good luck to all!

[Melanie Bordelon]

I had to leave 6 of my pets on the leeve when I had to get on the barge I would like to know if anyone knows where the animals found wandering was taken. They where inside dogs so they had no collars I made collars from string and paper with their names on them when we was resued from the school but I couldn't take any of them with me because they weren't in crates. I would like to know how was I suppose to have crates for them when we had to leave our homes so fast. I would really like to find them. They are the only things I have left. They are my family. Thank you

[Kim Poree Jr.]

I stayed in N.O. four five days after katrina with my brother and a good friend.For the first three days we watched so-called "rescuers" avoid completely every person we pointed out who needed help.I know why some people sought vengeance on nameless helicopters and people in blue.It was because they made it obvious that they would save their own first.The real "first responders" were the citizens who had,or managed to recover personal watercraft.Fire fighters came next,they are used to endangering themselves for others.There were so few rescuers and so many in need of rescuing that we decided to rescue ourselves.We also helped whoever we could along the way,and hurt none.We saw so many people who didn't know what to do or where to go that we almost felt guilty for being blessed enough to make it.The saddest part of our theory of survival was its simplicity...walk away from our meager little piece of New Orleans East(after paddling five miles)over the high rise and along the interstate to uptown by the rich people on st. charles.The powers that be know better than to abandon rich white people.Instantly upon arrival at st. charles and napoleon streets(about six hours later)we found N.O.P.D. loading people,both black and white but far less numerous onto trucks and buses headed for a secondary evacuation point at airline hwy. and causeway blvd..These locations were not broadcast over the radio which we kept on from day one.Most of our people were told to go to the dome the rest were told to go to hell.Take care of yourselves.

[colleen]

ALVIN CAMPO? Where are you? Can anyone help me find him?e-mail me @ colleen26marie@yahoo.com

[colleen]

ALVIN CAMPO? Where are you? Can anyone help me find him?e-mail me @ colleen26marie@yahoo.com

[Sarah Mareno]

I am from Long Beach,MS and was wondering if any of the long beach high school teachers are missing? Steve Ulrich or Tiffan Java

[JANET MCKINLEY]

I THINK T IS NOT FEAR WHAT THEY DID AND THAY SHOULD PAY.I THINK THEY BLOW UP THE LEVEE.AN ITS ALSO SAD THAT HOW THEY DIDN'T HELP NOBODY BUT I'LL BE SURE TO PRAY FOR THEM THEY NEED IT !

[nicole will]

they blew the levee to save new orleans and when they blew it they said fuck st. bernard parish!the cops of st. bernard killed our dogs,cats..... they did it because it made them assholes feel good. ""nothing better too do but kill our family members"" so if your looking for any animals look at the police in st. bernard parish.



Former St. Bernard Sergeant Mike Minton, pictured above, was videotaped shooting dogs in the streets of New Orleans during the days following Katrina. We don’t have such footage of the killers who shot 33 dogs and cats in St. Bernard Parish Schools, so we’ll keep pushing for the release of any public records that can bring these individuals to justice. The entire video can be viewed here . (Warning: graphic and disturbing images)





theres one of the assholes here. the reason there was no help there is because the police was thinking if they should kill and cut up our animals for crab bait

[Dorothy Mcguire]

Nothing was worst than the drive in when we were toldto come in on a business pass.The drive at 5:00 in the morning, going in on the Hwy 11 bridge was so deaf sounding.No lites, no one out there and no birds,crickets or stars or even a moon to guide you.There was nothing. Then once in the parish still the same, the landmarks weren't there.Everything was different. This was heart wrenching, to see the place we called homein ruin. What do we do now. The only thing is to "Pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off and go forward". God Why did this have to hapen to some of the nices people?

[Kim Upham]

This film tells and important and compelling story about the pets left behind and the brave rescuers who helped them to safety. It includes a segment about the horrors at Beauregard Middle School where police allegedly shot 20 dogs after torturing them. We can only hope that many lessons have been learned in the wake of Hurricane Katrina and that the parties responsible for wrongdoing or neglect (to humans and animals) will be brough to justice and made to account for their actions or inaction.

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