Parish still struggling to rebuild from ravages of Katrina

By Becky Bohrer, THE ASSOCIATED PRESS CHALMETTE, La. - Nearly three years after hurricane Katrina, shifting demographics and the loss of community touchstones have rendered tight-knit St. Bernard Parish almost unrecognizable to those who cherished life here before the storm. By one estimate, less than half the 67,000 pre-storm population is back in this New Orleans suburb, and residents are now poorer and more reliant on services from the cash-strapped parish government, St. Bernard president Craig Taffaro said. There is no hospital, shopping options are limited and teachers are in short supply. Many returnees cling to the life they once knew at remnant neighbourhood hangouts. Broken streets, concrete slabs where houses stood and abandoned strip malls are the veneer. The unseen wrath of Katrina is its theft of the soul of St.... [read full story]