The effort to demolish abandoned houses is moving forward in St. Tammany Parish, but government officials indicate that the program will take a little more time as they work through the legal process.
St. Tammany Parish President Kevin Davis says that since Hurricane Katrina, some 4,378 houses were reviewed for possible structural damage, with 3,413 of them not eligible for demolition. Of the remainder, Davis notes that 138 were transferred to the parish code enforcement group, 93 houses were removed from the process due to renovation or demolition, 29 structures were not eligible after FEMA inspection, and another 705 were determined to be possible candidates for future hearings.
"We are working our way through the legal process of condemnation," says Davis. "We must work to restore our neighborhoods while respecting individual property rights."
Davis adds that the parish is moving forward in the process "as quickly as the law will allow."

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