A ST. TAMMANY NEWS EDITORIAL

Just when some people in this parish thought they had finally gotten over the trauma Hurricane Katrina, they are now faced with a potentially worse problem, that is a result of the storm. Some homeowners in the parish rebuilt their homes using drywall made in China. Unknown to them, this drywall contained harmful substances that were making people sick, destroying home appliances, and causing a legal and medical nightmare.

It would be easy to tell these people to rip out the offending drywall, but experts are saying that could cause more damage to people’s health and the environment. There is a class-action lawsuit set to go to court early next year, but the lawyers are saying it will not be easy to get any restitution because this has turned into an international issue. China does not seem willing to listen to our problem, let alone help pay for the damage to homes, and people’s lives because of this tainted product. Chinese drywall has scientists scratching their heads. They cannot seem to find a solution on how to remediate a house that has been exposed to this drywall, or exactly what the effect of these gases are on people’s health. They are working on it, but like the legal front, it will be awhile before a solution is found.

We applaud the efforts of state Senators A.G. Crowe and Julie Quinn to try and bring some sort of compensation to the thousands of homeowners in our area who are suffering because of this toxic drywall. The senators have been successful in getting money from the state and federal governments to help out. Also to be applauded is St. Tammany Assessor Patricia Schwarz Core, who has convinced the Tax Commission to lower the assessments on these tainted houses to 90 percent.

All this is some relief, but there is still a long way to go. People whose houses have been exposed to Chinese drywall may find it hard to sell. Insurance companies may not want to insure such homes. The more one looks into this mess, the worse it gets.

As Sen. Quinn urged at a meeting, we have to keep reminding our representative that this is going on and to find a solution. Let’s hope these poor homeowners get some relief soon.