By Lori Lyons

Contributing Writer

EDGARD – West St. John High School coach Robert Valdez is a fairly patient man.

And since Hurricane Isaac hit St. John the Baptist Parish in August, he has done what he could to help his neighbors on the east bank, much of which was devastated by the storm’s tidal surge. Thousands of residents’ homes were flooded as well as several of the parish’s schools, including East St. John High School.

Since then, much has been done to assist the beleaguered high school, which remains closed, its students moved to another campus. Many communities and organizations have stepped up to help the school raise funds and to replace the football team’s equipment which was lost in the flood.

But Thursday night at the urging of west bank school board representative Russell Jack, Valdez made his way to the St. John School Board to remind its members he needed a little help as well. Valdez told the surprised assembly that he has been waiting since August for someone – anyone – to come make repairs to his facilities.

“I’m very, very sympathetic to the east bank and everything they’re going through,” Valdez said. “They need help. But we’ve got some things over here that need to be taken care of too.”

Valdez, who serves as the school’s athletics director as well as the head football coach, said Isaac ripped the roofs off of the softball field’s dugouts and all of the team’s equipment was lost. The batting cages were destroyed. The storm also tossed the football team’s blocking sleds into a crumpled heap. And the track team’s jumping mats, he said, “had a pillow fight.”

It’s all minor things compared to the woes on the east bank, Valdez said. But nevertheless, it needed to be addressed.

“They kept saying, ‘They’re coming. They’re coming. They’re coming,’” Valdez said. “It was just time for my voice to be heard.”

Apparently, it was.

Valdez said the School Board was very supportive following his impassioned speech at Thursday night’s meeting. And Saturday morning, he said, a crew arrived to begin framing a new roof on the softball dugouts.

“It was not catastrophic by any means,” Valdez said. “But at the end of the day, it needed to be said. That’s part of being the athletic director.”