Sitting at the waters edge in Hopedale is a monument. Last August 29 ^th, on the two-year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, St. Bernard Parish unveiled the Katrina memorial.

WWL-TV

Despite being listed on a memorial for Katrina dead, Uriel Little is very much alive. His sister tried to inform the memorial builders that he was okay but had trouble reaching officials after Katrina.

There it listed the names of the parish residents who died the day the storm made landfall – 137 names in all.

But recently parish officials found out they had a problem with the memorial. It surrounded a man named Uriel Little.

The problem is Little’s name is listed among the deceased and he is very much alive.

He evacuated to Texas before Katrina and didn't know what to think when he saw his name written in stone.

"I don't know. I laughed to see my name on there. I knew it wasn't true because I was still here,” he said.

Uriel's sister Sylvia knew he was alright but his name started showing up on a list in the paper of people who died in the storm.

Sylvia called the sheriff and the coroner’s office, but in the chaotic days and weeks after the storm the word never got through.

"The offices weren't open,” she said. “I tried to get to as many people as I could and tell them it wasn't so."

The 76-year-old Little settled into his new home at the St. Margaret Daughters nursing home and basically forgot about it.

"But the first thing you know the monument was put out and there he was,” said Sylvia. “We tried to stop it before we made the monument, but it didn't work."

Little, who worked decades for the streets department of Orleans and St. Bernard Parishes, knew some of the people on the list.

He said he’s less concerned about his name being on there, than the 136 that are on the monument.

"I'm just kind of sorry about all them people that didn't make it,” he said. “I wish there was a way I could have helped them - a way they could have made it."

Parish Councilman Ricky Melerine says the parish wants to landscape the monument and add some concrete benches to finish the area off, but not until a company comes out to fix the mistake.

"When I found out, I was really happy that Uriel wasn't deceased,” he said. “It’s a good thing that we can go ahead and take a name off instead of me having to add a name."

The parish is asking for help in correcting any other errors on the monument. Anyone who knows of a misspelling or other needed correction can call the government office at 874-0980.