Washington - The organizers of the new Martin Luther King Jr . National Memorial may have thought it was a super-human effort to raise $115 million for a 30-foot sculpture, a 450-foot inscription wall and 11,279 granite pavers.
But now they're dealing with Mother Nature.
Damage from Tuesday's magnitude 5.8 earthquake forced two pre-dedication events to be moved. Now, Hurricane Irene could force the Sunday dedication to be delayed.
"We have not made a decision yet," National Park Service spokesman Bill Line said Thursday about possible delays Sunday.
Sunday isn't just any day: It is the 48th anniversary of the March on Washington and King's "I Have a Dream" speech.
"The National Park Service, the U.S. Park Police, the Department of Interior and other federal agencies are paying constant attention and are in communication with the National Weather Service and the National Hurricane Center in Florida," Line said.
The memorial is open through today, although the first of 27,000 chairs are being placed there for guests and the stage where President Barack Obama is to speak Sunday is being constructed.
Some 250,000 people are expected to attend the dedication, which is to include remarks by the King family and a rendition of "Amazing Grace" by Aretha Franklin.
Options under consideration include reducing the scope of Sunday events so the president could speak indoors, or rescheduling the dedication to Monday or beyond.
Already, because of the earthquake, Wednesday's International Salute Gala planned at the National Building Museum was moved to the Walter E. Washington Convention Center.
The prayer service planned Saturday at the Washington National Cathedral also damaged by the earthquake will be moved to the Basicila of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception.
Harry E. Johnson Sr., president and CEO of the MLK Memorial foundation, said organizers are keeping up their spirits despite the earthquake and hurricane.
"We are reminded of the natural and human distractions Dr. King so often faced as he pursued democracy, hope, justice and love," Johnson said. "Dr. King showed unshakeable strength against daily distractions on the way to reaching the dream."
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