LIVINGSTON – Caskets are getting reburied at the Plainview Cemetery in Livingston Parish. It was the hardest hit cemetery during the August flood with almost 250 graves disturbed.
The state has now taken over the restoration. "It's a sacred place, families come here to remember their loved ones so we want to return their earthly remains to their resting place," Able Goings, state cemetery consultant, said.
With the cemetery severely damaged, only a contractor with special equipment could get the job done.
"We've had everything from vaults shifted on their side, to an entire vault removed from its grave and the casket separated from the vault," Goings said.
Work to restore the graves also requires water to be suctioned from graves by hand and old-fashioned grave digging.
There are still two dozen bodies in the cemetery that have not been identified and officials are asking relatives to come forth to help identify the remains. The cemetery will rebury the remains that are left unidentified in unmarked graves.
Family members who have loved ones buried in the cemetery are asked to contact the Livingston Parish Office of Homeland Security.