New Orleans and Hurricane Katrina

With New Orleans in the news, and speculation about the effects of the August 2005 hurricane on the area, ghost hunters may be especially interested in visiting the French Quarter.

First, I would like to correct reports made in some of the media.

St. Peter's cemetery was the oldest cemetery in New Orleans but it was full by the end of the 18th century. To make way for housing, the graves were moved farther out of the city to St. Louis cemetery No. 1 on the other side of Rampart Street.

While St. Peter St. may have been under water from Hurricane Katrina, there is no active cemetery there; it is a residential neighborhood now. If you heard a news story about the St. Peter Street cemetery being flooded, it was in error .

Another news report suggested that flooding might lead to the erosion of above-ground crypts, and the possibility of corpses floating out.

According to knowledgeable "Haunted History" guides, above-ground crypts are a Spanish tradition.

Due to the heat in the New Orleans, bodies in those crypts decompose as if cremated during the year following burial.

Then, the crypt can be swept out and reused. So, most of the graves in the New Orleans area no longer contain actual corpses.

Further, the above-ground crypts are designed to withstand the elements. It is unlikely that the integrity of many French Quarter graves were compromised.

That said, early photographs of flooding around Metairie suggest that the some of the cemeteries in that area may sustain significant damage. However, since of those are also above-ground crypts, visitors should not be concerned about seeing floating coffins or corpses.

On a positive note, keep in mind that many studies show a direct relationship between fresh water and hauntings, including poltergeist phenomena. So, with the volume of water that has flooded New Orleans, expect a surge of hauntings for many months--and perhaps years--ahead.

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