Our View

St. Charles Parish getting back to normal

Soon after Hurricane Katrina passed and people returned to the area, St. Charles Parish was the scene of much frenzied activity. That was because we suffered damages and suddenly were home to almost 20,000 more people.

Many of the new residents were evacuees from some of the more storm damaged areas. Some were workers coming in to help us rebuild.

They lived with relatives and friends, in trailers and RVs, in motel rooms and anywhere else they could rest their weary bodies after a busy day.

Traffic was heavy. People were busy repairing their homes and buying materials to do so.

Things are different today. We can say that St. Charles Parish is back to normal.

There are still some 6,000 additional people living here. But we are all going about our business as though nothing had happened.

We weathered our frenzied moments very well and quickly evolved into a normal status. Our schools are functioning very well in spite of an increase in enrollment. Crime has not been a big problem and, in fact, has had a slight decrease in the last year. Our water supply on the east bank has been taxed but we are planning a new pipeline and plant to resolve the situation.

It is a credit to our public officials, and especially our citizens, that St. Charles Parish experienced business as usual so soon after the greatest disaster in history struck our country.

We are still the “The Parish of Plenty.”