By KEVIN CHIRI
Slidell news bureau
SLIDELL – It has been 17 years since Hurricane Katrina slammed into south Louisiana, including Slidell, and left thousands of homes flooded so badly that many have still not been repaired or demolished.
City officials continue to face the cases involving these homes, many that were never repaired and now appear at City Council meetings for demolition. The variety of stories they hear has run the gamut of things the average citizen would be surprised to hear, such as a case several months ago where two citizens appeared at the condemnation hearing and both claimed to own the home. Other cases involve owners who offer a multitude of excuses for still not dealing with the property after all these years.
One such case with a different kind of story line appeared at the most recent council meeting and left council members showing obvious emotion and compassion for a woman who is still living in her damaged home, claiming she is “working on the home and wants to keep it.”
The case of the 609 Hailey Avenue home in south Slidell is not unusual from others the council has heard, with homeowners still wanting to keep the home although it has been 17 years since the hurricane, and substantial repair work has never been done.
The condemnation case for the Hailey Avenue home involved a 61-year-old woman who was reportedly still living in the badly damaged structure, at times with the use of a generator, although Slidell Building Inspector Joe France testified to the council that the home was “not inhabitable with so much damage” that it was ruled a danger to anyone who tried to live there.
France said he was first involved with the case 12 years ago in March of 2010 and tried to work with the owner, Debbie Bennett, who has faced severe financial challenges to repair the home. The structure has a long list of problems, said France, including “mold on all the interior walls, decaying walls, exposed wiring, filth and clutter from leftover food, holes in the sheetrock, trash throughout the home, flies and larvae everywhere, trash behind the house, and vermin running throughout the home.
“There is a risk of fire and the home is a nuisance to the neighbors, who continue to complain about it,” he added. “It is a danger for anyone who is trying to live there.”
Bennett appeared at the hearing with one of her four children, and said she was in the process of working on the home.
“I’ve been working on the home the last year-and-a-half and I want to have my home back,” she said. “My husband has been gone for 22 years so it has been hard for me.”
Her son was asked if he had any interest in the property, to which he told the council, “no.”
Meanwhile, his mother told the council she had recently “painted and cleaned some of the house.”
France disagreed, telling the council “this home is unfit for anyone to occupy.”
Her son said there were other places they wanted to get his mother to live, “but she doesn’t want to go there.”
France recommended the home be condemned and demolished, to which the council voted 8-0 in favor of.
After the hearing, two council members and the city attorney talked with Bennett and her son about ways they could help get her into a place of residence, as well as offering other support to help her.
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