JUNE 2007
Volume 1, Issue 3
Holy Cross Neighborhood
Association Newsletter
Established in 1981
Holy Cross Neighborhood Association – P.O. BOX 3417 New Orleans, LA 70177
News from the CSED A Project of Holy Cross Neighborhood Association
Office Hours: Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday 10AM-4PM
In This Issue:
CSED NEWS
Page 1
From the President’s Pen:
Page 2
City New Evacuation Plans
Page 3
High Rise Bridge:
Page 4
NENA Center:
Page 5
Free Home Repairs:
Page 5
Clinic Hours:
Page 5
Goin Home Cafe:
Page 5
St. Paul COGIC:
Page 5
Free Light Bulbs:
Page 5
Apartments:
Page 6
As you may know, HCNA's Lower Ninth Ward Center for Sustainable Engagement and
Development’s (CSED) mission is to support Lower Ninth Ward residents to rebuild,
repopulate our great community, enhance our considerable natural and physical
resources and support our community in its civic decision-making. CSED's goal a strong
community mindful of its history, resources and vulnerabilities as active, engaged,
resilient, prosperous, energy independent and beautiful as possible. Residents first!
What's Happening Now!
We are distributing paint donated through our Portland Oregon friends. Sign up at the
office, 5130 Chartres-back of Greater Little Zion Missionary Baptist Church at the 500
block of Lizardi. Once you're signed up, you can pick up the paint at our storage facility in
mid-city. We're planning for our annual elections forums. Elections for State Senator,
State Representative and Governor are coming up this fall and we must assure support for
our neighborhoods and accountability.
Students and faculty from the Universities of Colorado and Wisconsin are in town to work
with Steve Ringo and the rest of us on the Bayou Bienvenue project. The trees planted on
Caffin Avenue are doing fine through the heat. We're working on a bulk purchasing
mechanism so we can pool our resources and purchase what we need as inexpensively as
possible.
The environmental campaigns to deal with threats from the Florida Avenue Bridge project,
the IHNC lock project and our weak levees continues. We really need your input and help
on all these activities.... and much, much more! Call the office at 504-324-9955 for more
information. Ask for Kathy, Warrenetta or Pam.
Who we are: The CSED is a project of the Holy Cross Neighborhood Association with start-up
funding from Mercy Corps, Blue Moon, Tulane-Xavier Center for Bio-Environmental Research,
Louisiana Bucket Brigade and the Sierra Club Kathy Muse is the Program Coordinator and
Warrenetta Banks is the Office Manager, supported by the Membership, Partners and Friends of
Holy Cross Neighborhood Association.
Physical Location: 5130 Chartres St. New Orleans, LA 70117Back of Greater Little Zion
Missionary Baptist Church.
HCNA NEWSLETTER
PAGE 2 OF 6
From the President’s Pen
Dear Neighbors,
It is an honor to address you as your new president of our beloved neighborhood
association. I thank you for the vote of confidence you gave me a few weeks
when you elected me. And, I sincerely hope that I am able to surpass your
expectations of me in serving throughout my term.
First, I want to extend to my immediate predecessor-Pamela Dashiell-heartfelt
gratitude for serving us as president for the past 6 years. In particular, I want to
single out Pam’s service to us in the nearly 2 year time period since Hurricanes
Katrina and Rita tore through our area. She has worked tirelessly to bring an
array of resources and friends to our community to assist with our community’s
sustainable recovery. And, I know you all feel the same as I say that Pam has
been a wonderful mentor and dear friend to of us. Many thanks!
Second, I want to say that I very much look forward to working with everyone in
our neighborhood association and community to further chart the path of our
recovery. It goes without saying that the journey ahead will be a rough one. But,
we have overcome and achieved much thus far. And, with the level of endurance
and strength we have displayed, we can be sure that we will continue to achieve
the utmost in terms of sustainable engagement and redevelopment of our
beloved community.
Lastly, as we now move into a new hurricane season, I want to remind to us all to
make personal hurricane evacuation plans and take all measures necessary to
ensure self and family preservation. As we have learned recently, we cannot be
overly prepared. Be strong, keep the faith, and let us remember to sustain the 9!
Charles Allen, III
President
HCNA Newsletter
”There will be
no hurricane
shelters
operated by the
city of New
Orleans -period.”
Page 3 of 6
City’s New Evacuation Plan to avoid past mistakes
The city held a public meeting on May 19 in City Council Chambers in which the City of New Orleans
Office of Emergency Preparedness Director Col. Jerry Sneed, along with N.O.P.D. Chief Warren Riley
outlined procedures to evacuate citizens who have no means of leaving the city if a hurricane
threatens. Council members, James Carter and Cynthia Willard Lewis, were in attendance. In the meeting,
officials emphasized that the recovery of New Orleans is not just its rebuilding, but citizens being prepared to
evacuate again, with the goal of a successful evacuation being no one left behind.
Sneed acknowledged approximately 85% of citizens evacuated with the metro-area contra flow plan, but
the city sorely failed those who needed help the most: the indigent, handicapped and those with no personal
transportation. There have been several major changes to the plan including:
EMERGENCY
NUMBERS
NOPD 8212222
EMERGENCY
911
FIRE 911
AMBULANCE
911
HARBOR
POLICE
891-7585
CITY OF NEW
ORLEANS
INFORMATION
1-877-286-6431
There will be no hurricane shelters operated by the City of New Orleans – period.
Mayor Nagin will declare a mandatory evacuation when a Category 3 hurricane threatens. This is
approximately 84 hours before expected landfall.
At 54 hours before expected landfall, Charter buses will begin continuous pick-up of citizens at 15
designated locations (including four senior citizen centers). Only citizens arriving on the busses at the N.O.
Arena will be processed and evacuated– no walk-ins. Citizens will be brought by bus to the New Orleans
Arena for processing. They will leave by bus from the Arena for an out-of-town shelter and return to the city
on the bus when re-entry is allowed. Citizens cannot choose which shelter they will go to.
The very elderly and medically fragile will be brought to and travel to shelters by Amtrak train, not by
bus. Family members can accompany these citizens. A decision of more than one family member with a
person will be made during the intake process at the Arena.
Citizens must leave the city when the busses begin their rounds of pick-up at the 15 locations. The
busses will cease pick-ups at 13 hours before the hurricane’s expected landfall. Chief Riley noted that
although fewer people are in New Orleans post-Katrina, more vehicles are expected on the road during
evacuation, because more people now want to save their cars, storage trailers, etc. from possible damage.
Citizens can sign-up for text messaging of emergency/hurricane alerts through the city’s
website. The only cost to citizens will be the text message charge on their cell phones when the city sends
out a message. No identity is needed for sign-up, only a zip code. Tourists/visitors can sign up for the alerts
on the website also. The Emergency Broadcast System continues to be utilized for alerts on radio and
television.
Hotels will cooperate with the city’s plan by closing at the 58-hour mark, forcing tourists to leave and
allowing hotel workers to evacuate. According to Sneed, there will be no vertical evacuation allowed in the
city’s hotels. People must leave.
Aside from the city’s help, the meeting focused on the importance of communities banning together to
help one another and save each other’s lives during disaster. Representatives of Brother’s Keeper and
Franklin Avenue Baptist Church detailed successful procedures of evacuating and caring for
neighbors. Operation Brother’s Keeper offers two four-hour training sessions to teach community groups
and churches how to execute a successful plan for themselves. Franklin Avenue Baptist Church executed its
community plan during Katrina, and succeeded in temporarily re-locating its church members and securing
jobs for them after the storm.
Lower 9th Ward Health Clinic
Please log onto the city’s website, www.cityofno.com for the full version of the plan.
To receive text message alerts about hurricanes and other disasters through NOLA READY register
on line at www.nolaready.info.
HCNA Newsletter
PAGE 4 OF 6
High Rise Bridge May Mean High Rise in Traffic & Flood Problems
The project, planned but not yet built, is for an expressway along the floodwall at Florida
Avenue rising to a high bridge over the Industrial Canal, beside the other “blue” Florida Avenue
rail/car bridge. This project seems less and less advisable as time goes on and we understand
what this would mean.
The expressway plan conflicts with newer, post-Katrina plans to restore Bayou Bienvenue.
The bayou begins just over the concrete retaining wall on the north side of Florida Avenue. The
new expressway would bring traffic and development just where it is not needed.
The HCNA supports plans by the N.O. Sewerage and Water Board to remake the sewage
treatment plant at the bayou into a state of the art facility that recycles waste to rebuild wetlands--about 50,000 acres of them eventually. Partners in this enterprise are St. Bernard Parish, the
EPA, the Corps of Engineers, the Universities of Colorado and Wisconsin, Sierra Club, Gulf
Restoration Network, and others.
The high bridge plan was supposed to get more public hearing, but this was short-circuited by
Katrina. Pressure to build it has come in the community chiefly through the Corps of Engineers
and the Port of New Orleans, who are anxious for this project to support the new lock, itself a very
dubious undertaking in this post-Katrina world.
The bridge plan looks sophisticated but still dumps traffic onto the same often flooded and
impassible Poland/Alvar corridor the other bridges do. What improvement is that? To the east the
new bridge goes for about two miles over marsh as a single lane each way with no shoulder, until
it gets all the way to Paris Road. This is a stretch, indeed.
The state says we should build it like this because that’s all the money there is to do it. We
think if it can’t be done right it shouldn’t be done at all. After Katrina, our priorities have changed,
and the time to address this is now.
Please join in letting Governor Kathleen Blanco know our need for this, as well as Mr. Jerry
Luc Leblanc, Commissioner of Administration, and Mr. Cedric Grant, Secretary of LA Department
of Transportation. We are asking them to stop the Florida High Rise Bridge process, wherever it
is, until the needs of our community in this respect can be addressed in a thorough and
satisfactory public way. Let them know that if they cannot meet with us here about this, we will go
to Baton Rouge to see them.
Thanks!
In unity is strength.
John Koeferl
HCNA Newsletter
Page 5 of 6
NENA CENTER
1120 Lamanche Street, This Center is servicing the needs of the community with
job search information, computer needs, and help with finding a contractor and
so much more.
FREE HOME REPAIRS by Christian Aid Ministries !
Home must be insured and owner must purchase
own material Bill Cooly: (814) 573-6781
School is Back In
It won’t be long before we hear the sounds of children running up and down the
school yard. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. School for Science and Technology
Elementary School had it’s rededication service on Sunday, June 3rd. The first
day of school is Monday, August 13th. To register for upcoming classes go to
Edgar P. Harney School at 2503 Willow Street. Please bring the child’s Birth
Certificate, Shot record, last report card, and 2 proofs of residency. Pre-K
students must be 4yrs old by September 30th and Kindergartens must be 5yrs old
by September 30th
Neighborhood Health Clinic in Lower 9
5228 St. Claude
Hours of Operation
Mon. 8am-4:30pm
Tues. 10am-6pm
Wed. 8am-4:30pm
Thurs. 8am – 4:30pm
Fri. Appointment Only (504)309-0918
The Going Home Community Café 6030 St. Claude Avenue
A family-friendly place for residents of the lower 9th Ward to get together and relax
Delicious hot meals Mon – Sat. Breakfast 7-9, Lunch 12-2, Dinner 6-8
Sunday Brunch 11-1, BBQ 4-7 Free Laundry, Internet, telephones, Library, Bathrooms,
Coffee, House gutting, Family night every Thursday @ 6:30 Tool Lending coming soon!
Also Free Summer Camp for ages 5-18 (Mon-Fri 10am-5pm).
St Paul COGIC located at 1020 Forstall St. is inviting the public to a walk a thon on Saturday, June 23rd at
9:00 am. Rev. Dison and his congregation is sponsoring this Praise Fellowship. There will be singing,
praising and plenty of food. Every Wednesday, the church give away free food from 9:30 – 12:30.
Register @ greenlightneworleans.org for florescent light bulbs
Holy Cross
Neighborhood
Association
5130 Chartres st
P.O. BOX 3417
New Orleans Louisiana,
70177
PHONE/FAX
(504) 324-9955
Page 5 of 6
Need a Place to Live?
We have housing all over New Orleans Metro area. We have efficiency apartments,
1bedroom, 2 bedrooms, 3 bedrooms, and 4 bedrooms as well. Call to schedule an
appointment with New Orleans Metro Management, LLC (504)352-6957 or (504)296-6840
About the Holy Cross Neighborhood Association
Established in 1981, the mission of the Holy Cross Neighborhood Association is to make our
community the best place in the city to live and raise a family.
The association meets every Thursday night from 5:00pm – 7:00pm The Greater Little Zion Missionary
Baptist Church, 5130 Chartres Street.
Elections take place the 2nd Thursday in May. Yearly dues of $10 must be paid before running for
office. HCNA T-Shirts are $15 and yard signs are available.
The Board of Directors 2007/2008 is as
follows:
E-MAIL:
Sustainthe9@gmail.com
Please submit your
articles to Warrenetta
nd
Banks by the 2
Thursday of the month
to be published in the
next month’s issue @
warrenettab@yahoo.com
504-324-9955
Charles Allen, III, President
William Waiters, Vice President
Linda Novak, Recording Secretary
Warrenetta Banks, Corresponding Secretary(resigned 6/1/07)
Evelyn Stanley, Treasurer
Pam Dashiell, Past President
Charles Digange, HCS Headmaster
Antoinette Ackerson
Calvin Alexander
Geina Jones
John Koeferl
Elois Parker
Stacy Rockwood
Rev. Gilbert Scie
Mary Patsy Story
Photos in this month’s issue were taken by:
Darryl Malek-Wiley of the Sierra Club and
Ariane Wiltse
The HCNA would like to thank the Emergency Communities
“Goin Home Café” for generously preparing and serving dinner at the
Thursday night Meetings.
HOLY CROSS NEIGHBORHOOD
ASSOCIATION
5130 Chartres st
P.O. BOX 3417
New Orleans Louisiana, 70177