>From the Times Picayune June 16, 2008 Facelift begins at Violet cemetery Flooding displaced many of the tombs Monday, June 16, 2008 By Mary Elise DeCourseySt. Bernard bureau The edge of Merrick Cemetery in Violet is lined with about 50 identical white concrete tombs, distinguished only by spray-painted numbers and letters as authorities work to identify the remains disinterred by Hurricane Katrina's floodwaters. The neat rows of temporary tombs contrast with the rest of the cemetery, where massive cinder-block vaults remain toppled and strewn about. A few lie open with the coffins exposed, while others rest precariously on cracking tombstones. The scene is a chilling reminder of Katrina's wrath nearly three years ago. But far from being desolate or abandoned, the cemetery had about 15 visitors Saturday. They were there to honor the dead, but not with flowers or candles. Jay Fiala and volunteers from his business, B&I Services, came bearing paint brushes and pressure washers. "It's just unfortunate we can't do more," Fiala said. "The sooner we get this place back in shape, the better." St. Bernard Parish Councilman Fred Everhardt and the Merrick Cemetery Association secured a $10,000 grant from the Meraux Foundation to repair the cemetery. Everhardt visited the cemetery with his wife after receiving calls from residents with family members buried there. The couple was upset by what they saw and vowed to help. Merrick is one of the oldest African-American cemeteries in the country, said the Rev. Henry Ballard, who is working helping to coordinate volunteer efforts. "This is a historic place for the community, a place to pay respect and remember the dead," Ballard said. "That's what this is all about. We want it to be important to everyone." For Laura Allen, a B&I volunteer, the day was especially important. Almost all of her family are buried there, including her mother, father and husband. While her mother's tomb remained intact, she is unsure of what has become of the tombs of her uncles, who served in World War II. "I know they used to be there," Allen said, pointing to a patch of grass with a bouquet of yellow roses. "I hope they can put them back in their spots." As volunteers took a break, Joan Addich, the human resources manager for B&I, noticed Allen's mother's tomb. "If we don't do anything else today, we need to paint that one," she said. Ballard said the biggest challenge is finding money and volunteers to complete the process. Most of the grant has been spent on whitewashing the tombs, Everhardt said. Crews will need a crane to lift displaced vaults, and Everhardt would like to get a cherry picker to remove debris so the heavy equipment doesn't damage fragile tombs. "I'm going to everyone I know to ask for donations," Everhardt said. Ballard and cemetery association President Bernell Sino have been working with family members to help identify tombs and their original locations. The remains in half of the temporary concrete tombs have yet to be identified, Sino said. Wooden stakes mark unidentified graves and spray paint marks where plaques or headstones are missing. "It's a process, and we are working on it," Ballard said. "We don't want people to assume nothing is being done." The work came to a halt Saturday afternoon for the funeral of Lionel King, a longtime Violet resident, who was interred in a new tomb at the front of the cemetery. Despite Katrina's devastation, Merrick remains a working cemetery. Noting that the first post-Katrina burial was in January 2007, Ballard and Sino said the cleanup isn't just to preserve the past, it's to ensure the cemetery's future. "People don't stop dying," Ballard said. "I've got family here and Bernell (Sino) has family here, and one day, we'll probably be here, too." Mary Elise DeCoursey can be reached at mdecoursey@timespicayune.com or (504) 826-3362.     'A government big enough to give you everything you want, is big enough to take away everything you have.' ........ Thomas Jefferson