129 St. James parish residents ordered to temporarily move

129 St. James parish residents ordered to temporarily move
Published: Sep. 23, 2021 at 5:06 PM CDT|Updated: Sep. 23, 2021 at 5:07 PM CDT

ST. JAMES, La. (WAFB) - More than one hundred residents of apartments operated by the St. James Parish Housing Authority have been ordered to move out because of unsafe living conditions following Hurricane Ida.

The agency operates six complexes in the parish and four of them sustained heavy damage from the storm, said Housing Authority Executive Director Dana Groover.

The two facilities located in Convent are not affected.

The Louisiana Fire Marshal’s Office inspected the properties and found that 129 of the apartments were no longer safe to live in because of various problems including roof damage, mold and electrical issues.

The agency gave the housing authority until September 23, 2021, to move out all of the residents in the affected units.

St. James Parish President Pete Dufresne said most of the affected residents have found temporary housing with family members. Five residents were placed in hotels in Gonzales using FEMA vouchers, parish officials said.

Cynthia Poche has two relatives living in the affected units. She’s hopeful the units can be repaired quickly, although parish leaders say there is no current estimate on when residents will be allowed to move back in.

“Something needs to be done,” Poche said. “It’s very stressful.”

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