Katrina memorial takes shape

NEW ORLEANS – Six mausoleums for the unclaimed dead of Hurricane Katrina stand on what was vacant land just five weeks ago, as New Orleans – in what could be a testament to its determination – scrambles to complete a memorial by Friday’s third anniversary of the storm.

Many believed the fatigued city would have no place to inter the 85 bodies. The city coroner, already grappling with one of the nation’s worst murder rates, was placed in charge of the $1.2 million effort last year, and progress was slow. The inactivity was seen as another example of the sluggish climate that has characterized the city’s rebuilding from the 2005 storm that killed 1,600 people.

Coroner Frank Minyard says at least seven of the dead will be marched to the site during a traditional New Orleans jazz funeral. The memorial itself, bucolic and shaped like the eye of a hurricane, may or may not be fully complete when they arrive.

“We’re playing everything by ear. We’ll sit down with a big sigh of relief, whenever and however it’s completed,” Minyard said.

Obstacles as slight as a day of rain could cause the deadline to be missed, he said.