I read in a catholic newspaper yesterday that numerous catholic parish have lost years and years of church records to Katrina and the flood waters. Apparently, there is no way to reconstruct them. What they are intending to do for future marriages, if have the witnesses, maid of honor and best man, sign a document stating they know the couple were baptized and raised catholic. This will satisfy the church requirements for the sacraments of First Communion, Confirmation, matrimony and Holy Orders. It may help future generations who search for records but it will not help those looking for records of their ancestors. No doubt the records of other denominations have also been destroyed as have those of some cemeteries. The article mentioned nothing about civil records. Elizabeth V. Cardinal evc1369@comcast.net