Print this story | E-mail story | This story has 29 comments Add your own | iPod friendly
Katrina memorial delayed
Published Saturday, July 12, 2008
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Between acres of aboveground tombs that are this marshy city’s way to inter the dead, there is a strip of land that is an empty tribute to the victims of Hurricane Katrina.
Unknown to most in town, including the relatives of those who died in the storm, it is the chosen site for a memorial to an estimated 1,600 fatalities, and will serve as the resting place for 85 bodies that remain unclaimed nearly three years after the disaster. During a second-anniversary ceremony, Mayor Ray Nagin shed a tear, gave $1 million in taxpayer money to the project, and delegated management to a city coroner intent on a monument that would double as a warning to be better prepared for the next hurricane.
‘‘This is an example of the dead helping the living,’’ said New Orleans Parish Coroner Frank Minyard. ‘‘The underprivileged African-American community suffered worst in this storm and we have to make sure for the next storm that it doesn’t happen again. Hopefully, this memorial will be a reminder of that.’’
But nine months later, what could have been an inspiring focal point for New Orleans has dissolved into a project that is forgotten, frustrated and delayed — much like the Katrina recovery itself. Some say a lack of follow-up by the mayor is the cause, but Minyard places the blame on his own overburdened office, and the fatigue of a scattered city that had its share of problems long before the levees failed.
Few expect the monument to be built by the target date of Aug. 29, Katrina’s third anniversary.
‘‘Maybe by the fourth anniversary, maybe the fifth,’’ said Gwendolyn Davis Brown, 53, the niece of the Rev. Lonnie Garrison, a longtime pastor at Pilgrim Progress Missionary Baptist Church in New Orleans who died in the aftermath of the storm. ‘‘There’s so much stuff going on in the city, people still have to get back into their homes,’’ added Patsy Garrison Dupart, 58, Garrison’s daughter.
Some families are so overwhelmed by the storm, or were so troubled before it, that they have declined to pick up the bodies of relatives. The corner’s office says 54 of the 85 unclaimed have been positively identified. But family members have either been lost in the massive relocation Katrina triggered, or decided to leave burial to the coroner because they were estranged from the deceased when the storm hit.
‘‘Some families have chosen not to claim the bodies; some we cannot find families for. ... It’s just sad,’’ said Julia Powers, a forensic anthropologist on loan from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to help Minyard.
New Orleans has seen an estimated 67 percent of its population return since the 2005 disaster that submerged 80 percent of town. But government statistics indicate many are not original inhabitants, with up to 200,000 pre-Katrina residents forwarding U.S. Mail to other parts of the country a year after the storm.
With the dislocation, there is no organized group of surviving family members to push for a memorial, as was seen after the 2001 World Trade Center attacks. Residents and activists have focused on the challenges of the living.
‘‘It hasn’t been the top priority on my list of outrage, just because there are so many other things on that list,’’ said Tracie Washington, a local attorney who advocates for affordable housing, health care and other needs in the city. ‘‘You kind of presume it’s going to get done. You just never think in advance who is going to get it done.’’
Minyard’s office shouldered the memorial project after organizing some 900 Katrina-related autopsies, and helping investigate 3,000 missing person’s reports. The city coroner has now become a repository for one of the worst per-capita murder rates in the country, with 209 killed in 2007 and 95 killed so far this year.
Coroner psychologist Dr. Jeffrey Rouse, whose duty is to help families cope with death, designed a Katrina tribute that will be shaped like a satellite image of the hurricane.
A canopy of trees will lead visitors to the structure, where they can follow circular patterns of plaque-filled walls bearing the names of the deceased. On either side, mausoleums for the unclaimed will stand, the bodies able to be moved if family members surface to bury them on a private plot. In the eye of the storm will be a bronze statue of two angels rescuing a fleur-de-lis, the city symbol.
It will sit on a piece of land donated by Louisiana State University known as the Charity Hospital Cemetery. The grounds there contain the unmarked graves of centuries of the city’s poorest. If remains are discovered during topsoil removal, work will be stopped while an onsite archaeologist documents.
Minyard is unsure how many plaques will be displayed, because defining a Katrina-related fatality carries legal ramifications, affects life insurance policies and public aid. Some drowned, some died from exposure, and others died weeks later from apparent physical stress during the evacuation. State health department statistics show blacks were 53 percent of fatalities and whites were 39 percent — many of them over the age of 65.
There were no completion dates set for each stage of construction on a memorial to them. Two days after The Associated Press asked about its status, LSU signed off on a city permit to allow topsoil clearing at an undetermined date. Workers later drove a pattern of stakes into the ground and drew an outline with fluorescent paint. For now, the only place the monument exists is a Web site rendering.
Still, during the two-year anniversary, Nagin, ranks of New Orleans police officers, firefighters and other city officials stood for a powerful dedication. New Orleans jazz trumpeter Irvin Mayfield Jr., whose father drowned in the storm, played ‘‘Just a Closer Walk with Thee.’’
It is a dirge often heard during the slow procession to the graveyard at a New Orleans jazz funeral, the ceremony that Minyard wants to use to carry the unclaimed from a nondescript downtown warehouse to the dignified memorial grounds.
‘‘It will be beautiful,’’ said Dupart. ‘‘When it’s built.’’
Comments
Posted by fire39212 (anonymous) on July 13, 2008 at 10:14 a.m. (Suggest removal)
‘‘The underprivileged African-American community suffered worst in this storm and we have to make sure for the next storm that it doesn’t happen again.
You have got to be kidding me!!!!
How in the world do they get this? If alot of them wouldnt have stayed behind trying to gett hat welfare check ont he 1st....What about the white people that lost all of there things as well....Omg this is the craziest statement i have ever heard...But, Then again didn't this Mayor say he wanted N.O. as chocolate ville?
Posted by cheyenne (anonymous) on July 13, 2008 at 10:38 a.m. (Suggest removal)
this is about the stipidest thing i have heard
Posted by ladybuggs (anonymous) on July 13, 2008 at 10:42 a.m. (Suggest removal)
no he said chocolate city.
Posted by ladybuggs (anonymous) on July 13, 2008 at 10:54 a.m. (Suggest removal)
whies waited on the first also.did you see them on that HBO special? also this blog should be discontinued because statements always turns raciest!
Posted by notfromnatchez (anonymous) on July 13, 2008 at 12:14 p.m. (Suggest removal)
maybe they should build a statue that depicts the shooting of National Guard helipcopter that were trying to help the victims. LOL.
Posted by emimag2 (anonymous) on July 13, 2008 at 12:47 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Why is it always about New Orleans?? What about the Mississippi Gulf Coast.. (which by the way still needs some work done, but is coming along nicely!) And the black community was not the only community that was hit really hard, what about the other places surrounding New Orleans?? I am getting very tired of the comments from the Mayor of New Orleans.. Especially the one about it being a chocolate city.
Posted by goldeneaglefan_2005 (anonymous) on July 13, 2008 at 1:33 p.m. (Suggest removal)
In my opinion New Orleans didn't get hit as bad at The Mississippi Gulf Coast. New Orleans just got mostly flood and wind damages. The whole Mississippi Gulf Coast got wiped out, atleast 6 blocks back. All those historic homes that where on the beach are no longer there, the beach itself had to be redone, Beauvoir had to be redone, the casino's had to be completely rebuilt, and the Ocean Springs bridge had to be completely rebuilt. The list goes on and on, that was just a few examples. I had gone down to the Gulf Coast about 3 weeks ago, and it still looks like a ghost town with condos going up everywhere. Some people have decided to build back. All of the total focus is going to New Orleans,since people think that is where it was damaged the worst.
Posted by destiny (anonymous) on July 13, 2008 at 2:12 p.m. (Suggest removal)
golden, it was not the worst damaged as I have seen for my self. But remember N.O. is the sin city capital of LA. Naturally they want the leading sin city back up and running so, if not living there, can go visit and blame sinning on the atmosphere.
Posted by ladybuggs (anonymous) on July 13, 2008 at 2:58 p.m. (Suggest removal)
mississippians should do something for their state.like new orleans has done.
Posted by tiredofcrazytalk (anonymous) on July 13, 2008 at 3:07 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Why make this storm a white or black issues some of you are just plain and simple BACKWASHERS trash, get over it. It is a human problem where many people of all kinds lose everything. It is a shame of how tasteful you BWT can be. And to you fire 39212 for your records please do the math in the United States polls that in 2007 federal polls there were 48% white, 35% African-American, 12%hispanic, 5% others. Know please tell me who is looking for goverment handouts. Sick and Tired of small mind people who belittle othyer people get a real life !!!!!!
Posted by fire39212 (anonymous) on July 13, 2008 at 4:16 p.m. (Suggest removal)
As you watch the flooding in the Midwest, have you noticed that there are no farmers running around with stolen plasma TVs or holding stolen
liquor over their heads. There's no looting or yelling "Where's Bush?", "Where's FEMA?, Where's my check?", or "Why isn't the Gov't out here saving me and my farm?"
Likewise, I've also noticed there are no reports of any other country coming to help or sending aid. And, where is Reverends Jessie Jackson and Al Sharpton?
Shocking contrast isn't it???!!!!
Posted by lilredhead (anonymous) on July 13, 2008 at 4:52 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Here is a link to the Gulf Coast memorial. It is beautiful.
http://www.gulf-coast.com/Attractions/Ka...
Here is another link of a you tube video of the destruction.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_8xJpnnBZ...
We lost out home, schools, and jobs in the storm. We were told to evacuate on Friday August 26, 2008. We left immediately with only the clothes we could fit in a small bag. We were told to evacuate a full three days after the MANDATORY evacuation was ordered for NO. This issue was not a fault of the Federal government, it was a complete failure of the Louisiana state government. They waited on the government to rescue them instead of saving their own. I am truly blessed to have my family and my health. BTW we got no assistance from the State or Federal govt. We made it on our OWN!
Posted by sayitloud (anonymous) on July 13, 2008 at 6:44 p.m. (Suggest removal)
plaeeeeeeeeze!! What a joke! What the h--- does Ray Nagin care? He moved his family to Dallas!
and that ain't in louisiana
Posted by lilredhead (anonymous) on July 13, 2008 at 7:07 p.m. (Suggest removal)
You are right sayitloud. Our mayors in Mississippi made sure we understood what was at stake and had emergency plans to care for the citizens that could not help themselves. We moved to New Hampshire to find jobs after the storm and everyone was sooooo worried about NO. When we told them we were from the Gulf Coast they said that we got off lucky. They changed their minds after I showed them the pics I had taken of our home, jobs and surrounding area. I was sitting in Vidalia when the storm hit. I had been up all night and wanted to know if anything was left. It broke my heart to see so few images coming in of the coast that was wiped out. All I could see was NO. We finally got to go back three weeks after the storm. It was awful. It looked like a nuclear bomb had gone off.
Posted by sayitloud (anonymous) on July 13, 2008 at 7:27 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Glad you got out and are OK lilredhead.
Posted by fire39212 (anonymous) on July 13, 2008 at 7:43 p.m. (Suggest removal)
A friend ofmine worked that area it was awful...Why is the ND always reporting on NO this is a mississippi paper right??
Posted by sayitloud (anonymous) on July 13, 2008 at 7:52 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Ya know I was wondering the same thing fire.
Posted by fire39212 (anonymous) on July 13, 2008 at 8:13 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Wonder if we will get an answer on this? Looks like the coast would be what they would report on huh?
Posted by josey (anonymous) on July 13, 2008 at 8:53 p.m. (Suggest removal)
NO would not have had the devistation it did if the levee had not broke. The Gulf Coast did get hit by the storm. I get so tired of hearing about poor poor NO. The peopel of the coast pulled themselves up by their boot straps and immediatly started picking up an rebuilding.
Posted by fire39212 (anonymous) on July 13, 2008 at 9:14 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Thats right Josey! If you live in a soup bowl it will spill one day....
Posted by sayitloud (anonymous) on July 13, 2008 at 9:17 p.m. (Suggest removal)
As did the folks around Ohio that was flooded recently...they too just dug in there and helped themselves and each other rather than standing with their hand out like those in N.O.
And recently I was talking to a man from Houston who was telling me about all the Katrina people they got and that those losers are now sueing the city because the city wants them to start paying rent on the apts they got. They want everything HANDED to them on a freakin silver platter!
Posted by fire39212 (anonymous) on July 13, 2008 at 9:49 p.m. (Suggest removal)
How can you sue someone because they helped you? It has been almost 3 years just how long did they think it would last? Oh yea forever i forgot...
Posted by Teach4Peace (anonymous) on July 13, 2008 at 11:16 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Actually, MSNBC did a report that showed some Mid-Westerners talking about how the government was also late assisting them. I think you have people on all sides of the fence who instead of going into action, look to the government as their sole support. As a tax paying citizen, there is NOTHING wrong with me wanting my government to be there for me in my time of need, during disaster's etc., but I am certainly not going to sit like a duck and wait for them while holding my breath!
Posted by fire39212 (anonymous) on July 14, 2008 at 12:02 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I hear ya teach....Then those who waited will be bit#$%^&* about the goverment not handing them everything they needed...Makes no sense...Or like the ones who want to sue the very ones who tried to help them..
Posted by drawpaintsing (anonymous) on July 14, 2008 at 8:26 a.m. (Suggest removal)
It's easy to tell who is prejudice and who is not when these articles come up. It's always the same ones. Tell the media to report everything, not only one-sided facts. They went to certain communities and broadcasted them on television. They knew exactly what they were doing. As for FEMA, when Andrew swept Florida, or what ever state, FEMA almost didn't give the hurricane a chance to even leave.......this meaning they were there right away. You all sit on here and talk about the Black people, waiting on checks, this and that, but what about the many people (not Black) who received checks from other states. Blacks were minority in those.
When you talk about FEMA and the people from N.O. and other affected areas. I saw one line leading to the Ntz Convention Center, and the percentage of Whites and Blacks were almost equal.
Posted by drawpaintsing (anonymous) on July 14, 2008 at 8:46 a.m. (Suggest removal)
.....and I didn't mean that in a bad way. Remember, I said prejudice, not racist.
Posted by kmonii05 (anonymous) on July 14, 2008 at 10:28 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Are you kidding me???? I concur with "tiredofcrazytalk". I read this paper daily, but it amazes me how some of the most idiotic statements can be made by people who don't have a clue! Not all people in NO sit back and waited for their "welfare checks". Talk about stereotyping! There were hard working "educated" people who lived in New Orleans and lost everything as well....both black and white! It is a "people" issue. Has nothing to do with a particular race.
I was born in New Orleans, spent some of the best years of my childhood there and also had family members directly affected by this disaster... (Might I add, those of which were business owners and actually owned property in the city) If it were your family that had no way out and no assistance from FEMA, "your" President Bush or otherwise, would you be so quick to judge? Come out of your small town mentality and get all the facts before you pass judgement!
Posted by gottabehappy (anonymous) on July 14, 2008 at 11:42 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Good for them! But apparantely you and I watched this live and on TV from 2 diff worlds because when I see meterologists screaming to get the hell out of N.O. because a monster storm is heading your way and some folks decided not to and then screamed later that no one helped them I can't help but think, what did you want? a piggy back ride out of there?
Posted by drawpaintsing (anonymous) on July 14, 2008 at 12:04 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Yes, you are right. Some people from all other cities, as well as New Orleans.
Post a comment (Terms of Use Policy)
(Requires free registration.)