(August 27, 2008)—Friday is the third anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, and residents of Louisiana and Mississippi have that on their minds as they keep a close eye on Gustav.
The storm was downgraded from a hurricane to a tropical storm after moving over Haiti but forecasters expect it to regain strength and move into the Gulf of Mexico in a few days.
Long-range forecasts say the storm could threaten the central Gulf Coast of the U.S. by Monday as a major hurricane, but they caution it's too early to identify a specific path.
New Orleans officials are making plans in case the city has to be evacuated and are advising residents who might need help evacuating are to call the city's 311 information number.
Mississippi Emergency Management Director Mike Womack is advising south Mississippi residents to have an evacuation plan in place.
Friday in New Orleans, a memorial is planned for the unclaimed dead from Hurricane Katrina.
Six mausoleums for those victims stand on what was vacant land, as New Orleans works feverishly to complete a memorial by Friday's third anniversary of the storm.
Fifty-four of the 85 bodies are identified, but some have gone unclaimed because family members have been lost in the massive relocation, or they've decided to leave burial to the coroner because they were either too poor or too estranged to do it themselves.
In true Big Easy fashion, plans call for at least seven of the dead to be marched to the site during a traditional New Orleans jazz funeral.
Trumpeter Irvin Mayfield, Jr., whose father drowned in the storm, says the city's decision to honor the forgotten victims of Katrina shows its spirit.
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