LA - The Missing From Hurricane Katrina, 2005

[mysteriew]

As you are out and about on the web, please keep an eye out for the name Aaron Sloneker 9 yo or James Sloneker his father. The woman is local to me, and is pleading for some news on her son, who lives with his father. His father James lived in Poplarville, Mississippi. If you see anything about Aaron or his father James Sloneker, or the area they lived in Please PM me. And thank you in advance for looking.

 

[BillyGoatGruff]

I am just stunned that we haven't gotten food and water to the people in New Orleans yet. They have gone without food and water for 4 days now. Elderly and babies are dying from dehydration. There are no bathrooms that these people can use. Can you imagine what that is like and the stink as people are just going wherever.

As a lot of the people interviewed have said....we get food and water over to foreign countries right away but we are doing nothing for our own people. I guess the bigwigs were all on vacation and couldn't be bothered.

I sent an email to "Feed The Children." Their website said they are going to pitch in and mainly look after the needs of the children. What these people need first is their basic needs taken care of...food and water...diapers for their babies, etc. Can you imagine your baby wearing the same diaper for 4 days. Can you imagine your loved one dying and just being laid against a wall somewhere covered with a blanket and left there to rot. No place to wash your face much less your body or hair....no clean clothes and you were in water and mud up to your waist. What these people need is food and water yesterday or the day before.

What would be wrong with some of the large grocery stores in towns around New Orleans that didn't get damaged so bad loading up a few big trucks and bringing some food and water to these people?

Where is the Red Cross? What are they waiting for?

Watching the news is so frustrating...especially while I sit here in my warm home eating food and drinking whatever I want to drink. It is heart breaking to see that these people have lost everything that they owned.

One of the news networks that is in New Orleans is having people use the mic and cameras to inform their families that they are alright. I thought that was a good idea.

President Bush and these organizations who constantly ask for money to help people in need better get on the ball and help these people out. Feelings are running high about the lack of help these people are getting.

The scale of the Gulf Coast disaster is unrivaled in American history. Rescue & recovery is not easy or swift, even in the best of times, and these certainly don't qualify as "best". They're actually doing a lot better than I would have thought, given the scope of the devastation and the fact everything is having to be flown/trucke in from at least 3 states away.

 

[mysteriew]

Can I just say how devastated I am when I watch the footage and read the reports of the awful state of New Orleans. I read an article today-it was a diary of a woman who had been housed in the Superdome and the horrors she had seen- including a child being raped. It moved me to tears on my train into work this morning. I truly hope that this tremendous city can overcome this- which I am sure it will.

I live in London and I remember the kindness and sympathy extended to us when we experienced the 7/7 bombings. I, for one will be donating as much as I can to the relief funds. I live in hope that our (usually totally useless!) government will do all they can to help.

I hope you can overcome this awful tragedy and please know that I am absolutely thinking of the people there and the friends and family of the people who are missing. It really makes your realise how incredibly lucky you are.

BillyGoatGruff I hope you find all your loved ones that are missing.

I wanted to say Thank You for your contribution. As a country we are in shock. And feeling very alone. Personally it touches me so much when someone so far away, will still feel that they need to help. I feel a little less alone and helpless. Knowing that we have friends who care. So a big thank you for all who contribute- no matter where you might be. And I am happy I can call you friend and neighbor.

 

[Olivia77]

This link was posted in a post with many links, I didn't want it to get buried so I will post again. This link has pictures and actual SOS calls for people requesting rescues. The post about the baby needing rescue made me break down.

http://www.nowpublic.com/user/2173

 

[concernedperson]

I am learning as the days go on. I have extended family that are missing. I didn't even know they were there as we have lost touch. I guess this is more than we even thought.

 

[kahskye]

Can I just say how devastated I am when I watch the footage and read the reports of the awful state of New Orleans. I read an article today-it was a diary of a woman who had been housed in the Superdome and the horrors she had seen- including a child being raped. It moved me to tears on my train into work this morning. I truly hope that this tremendous city can overcome this- which I am sure it will.

I'm not sure this is the place to comment on this child being raped, but where were the adults? I can't imagine no one coming to her aid. How could anyone let a 10 yr old be raped? I just don't get it.

 

[mysteriew]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/apps/connect/search.aspx

Has entries for both looking for and safe lists. Searchable by name or by the first letter of the last name.

 

[SewingDeb]

I'm not sure this is the place to comment on this child being raped, but where were the adults? I can't imagine no one coming to her aid. How could anyone let a 10 yr old be raped? I just don't get it.

I have a problem with that, too. With that many people around nobody stopped him??

One man was killed by National Guard when he heard screams from a woman being raped and ran out to get help.

Why didn't all the men there join together and help the victims?? Heck, I'm not a man and I would have tried to stop him.

 

[ketel0ne]

There is a lot of rumor and bad unreliable information coming out of New Orleans. The rape and accounts of what happened next are all over the map. While the situation is horrible remember that 1,000 eyewitnesses, sometimes see 1,000 different things.

 

[mysteriew]

The U.S. Department of Justice has asked the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) to set up a coordinated missing persons process to locate and reunite Hurricane Katrina victims in Mississippi, Louisiana, and Alabama. NCMEC staff is working through the weekend and will have the Katrina Missing Persons Hotline, 1-888-544-5475, operational at 12:00 Noon Eastern time on Monday, September 5, 2005. Photographs, names, and physical descriptions of missing adults, missing children, and found children from hurricane-stricken areas will be posted to NCMEC's web site at www.missingkids.com.
http://www.missingkids.com/missingkids/servlet/NewsEventServlet?LanguageCountry=en_US&PageId=2081

 

[emma l]

There is a lot of rumor and bad unreliable information coming out of New Orleans. The rape and accounts of what happened next are all over the map. While the situation is horrible remember that 1,000 eyewitnesses, sometimes see 1,000 different things.

I agree with this totally. I have read horrific things in the UK newspapers this weekend again (which is where I originally read about the child being attacked)- , however, it is becoming more and more unclear what is true and what is not. One thing I think is completely clear- people are suffering terribly in the wake of this tragedy and it seems they are unable to cope.

This has probably been posted already but I found another site where you can regsiter the missing from Katrina. http://nokr.org/nok/restricted/home.htm

Also, I found this on another forum- numbers if you want to donate/volunteer to help .

American Red Cross: 800-HELP NOW
Operation Blessing: 800-436-6348
America's Second Harvest: 800-344-8070
Adventist Community Services: 800-381-7171
Catholic Charities: 703-549-1390
Christian Disaster Response: 941-956-5183 or 941-551-9554
Christian Reformed World Relief Committee: 800-848-5818
Church World Service: 800-297-1516
Convoy of Hope: 417-823-8998
Lutheran Disaster Response: 800-638-3522
Mennonite Disaster Service: 717-859-2210
Nazarene Disaster Response: 888-256-5886
Presbyterian Disaster Assistance: 800-872-3283
Salvation Army: 800-SAL-ARMY
Southern Baptist Convention Disaster Relief: 800-462-8657 ext. 6440
United Methodist Committee on Relief: 800-554-8583.

 

[lisafremont]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/apps/connect/search.aspx

Has entries for both looking for and safe lists. Searchable by name or by the first letter of the last name.

Thanks so much for that link, mysteriew. I used it to search on Terry McSweeney. I have been thinking about him and his three dogs, stuck on a rooftop with others in downtown NO. He and his companions were holed up with a supply of water, thoughtfully saved up and left by the apartment's owner, an employee of the hotel where they (Bonnie _____, Theresa Cherry from Scotland and Terry and his dogs). They were afraid to face the lawlessness on the streets and were trying to hold out in safety. Carl Quintanilla reported on their plight.

I was so moved. Poor Terry! He swam for 8 hours with his dogs and cried and felt guilty to be in the situation. Boats wouldn't pick them up. It was just heartbreaking.

Theresa Cherry flew in from Glasgow two days before Katrina hit, having been told it was just a tropical storm. She said she arrived that Saturday and saw the evacuation. OMG! How horrible. She just wanted to go home.

If you wish to see the segment that DATELINE did on this group of survivors, go to msnbc.com and look for video links for Katrina.

I searched on your link, mysterview and found a HUGE LIST of msgs for Terry McSweeney and his dogs....People offering homes for him and them, or help or just prayers. And then I found that he had been rescued, he and the dogs. I am relieved.

I didn't catch Bonnie's last name. But I searched for Theresa Cherry and found a msg looking for her. I assume since Terry was rescued, they were too.

So many sad stories. I hope that DATELINE does follow ups.

 

[AZ_Veteran]

Here's a link to another website where you can post information on missing, lost, and located people. Even though it is associated with the National Voice for Children, any age person can be posted. E-mail to the Admin is required with the appropriate info.

http://nvfc.us/Katrina/

 

[Sassygerl]

I don't know if this link has been posted, but it's very organized....hope it helps someone.

http://www.familylinks.icrc.org/katrina/locate

 

[ketel0ne]

http://www.familylinks.icrc.org/katrina/locate

Thanks for posting that Sassygerl, here is our thinking about all the databases and why the link above should be given to everyone on either side of this tragedy:

We made a conscious decision about 4 days ago not to cover individual stories of missing people from Hurricane Katrina on the MissingAbducted.com blog or on the Wiki. This is not to be construed as a sign of heartlessness or that we don’t care - we do.

As a result of Hurricane Katrina, thousands of people within the United States and abroad have lost contact with their loved ones and want to find them. Our view is actually the opposite of heartless; we saw no less than 50 online solutions for the Katrina Recovery efforts.

The American Red Cross processes all the evacuees, and each evacuee’s information ends up in the Red Cross database which is used by federal, local and state authorities. This information *must* be centralized for the authorities to understand and account for who is and isn’t missing. Family News Network of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) administers and maintains the Hurricane Katrina database . It is in French, English and Spanish. We have heard from various reports it holds 75,000 names of the evacuees so far, and that number grows hourly. Missing people are also reported to the database.

Again, this information must be centralized so the officials, first responders, and federal agencies (HHS, Red Cross, FEMA, etc) have a clear understanding who is and is not missing. The first step is to find if the person you are trying to locate is in the database; the second step is if they’re not, is to enter their information as you know it in the database so authorities can begin to locate that person.

We hope this helps you understand the absolute importance of the ICRC database to help find your person missing in this disaster.

 

[mysteriew]

What a twist on the missing:
Police in the southern Chicago suburb of Robbins are looking for tips about what happened to a Louisiana woman whose body was found dumped in a patch of woods there.

To compound matters, Hurricane Katrina has knocked out communication with her family, who live just outside New Orleans.

The young woman hailed from Metairie, La., a New Orleans suburb. Detectives said she had been living in the Chicago area for at least a few months.
http://www.nbc5.com/news/4936381/detail.html?z=dp&dpswid=2265994&dppid=65193

 

[Kelly]

http://www.familylinks.icrc.org/katrina/locate

As a result of Hurricane Katrina, thousands of people within the United States and abroad have lost contact with their loved ones and want to find them. Our view is actually the opposite of heartless; we saw no less than 50 online solutions for the Katrina Recovery efforts.

The American Red Cross processes all the evacuees, and each evacuee’s information ends up in the Red Cross database which is used by federal, local and state authorities. This information *must* be centralized for the authorities to understand and account for who is and isn’t missing. Family News Network of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) administers and maintains the Hurricane Katrina database . It is in French, English and Spanish. We have heard from various reports it holds 75,000 names of the evacuees so far, and that number grows hourly. Missing people are also reported to the database.

Again, this information must be centralized so the officials, first responders, and federal agencies (HHS, Red Cross, FEMA, etc) have a clear understanding who is and is not missing. The first step is to find if the person you are trying to locate is in the database; the second step is if they’re not, is to enter their information as you know it in the database so authorities can begin to locate that person.

We hope this helps you understand the absolute importance of the ICRC database to help find your person missing in this disaster.

We fully agree. See yesterday's entry to the Project Jason blog.

 

[BillyGoatGruff]

I'm not sure this is the place to comment on this child being raped, but where were the adults? I can't imagine no one coming to her aid. How could anyone let a 10 yr old be raped? I just don't get it.

Apparently at some point it finally started to dawn on the refugees that if they sat around and waited for someone else to "do" something, they'd all end up dead. In at least two cases a man's hands were hacked off by refugees for trying to steal food/water/medical supplies, and another had his throat slit from ear-to-ear with a pair of scissors while trying to rape a 13 year old girl.

On my end, I raied just udner $200 over the weekend selling Mardi Gras beads and beers at a opena ir festival. And as of today I know 9 people of the 30 I knew are safe, and another 4 are probably safe.

 

[murraydwyer]

This was posted at www.MauraMurray.com...it is from Erin Bruno at the National Center for Missing Adults:

If have not done so already, if you could please put a link to our website from yours, we are adding resource information for families with loved ones missing from the Katrina Hurricane catastrophe. Also, I’ve attached a resource list that we are handing out. If you can add that as well, that would be greatly appreciated. We are referring all families that have a missing child lost to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) Katrina Missing Person’s Hotline at 1-888-544-5475 and all families with a missing adult, we are referring here at 1-800-690-3463. Our website address is National Center for Missin Adults

Please let me know if you have any additional questions. Thank you again, for your assistance and concern. Your family has already been through so much, it is admirable that you continue to help others. Keep up the good work! J

Sincerely,

Erin Bruno
Lead Case Manager

The following is an attachment received with the above note:

National Center for Missing Adults
ADVOCACY RESOURCE LIST

MISSING PERSON RESOURCES

Natinal Center for Missing & Exploited Children
699 Prince Street
Alexandria, VA 22314
1-888-544-5475

Individuals can report missing persons to this site. Victims will be profiled on the agency website.

Homeport – US Department of Homeland Security
United States Coast Guard Recovery Assistance
District 8 Command Center
1-314-539-3900


Individuals can submit Missing/Stranded Persons requests to the US Coast Guard.

Family News Network of the International Committee of the Red Cross
American Red Cross
International Family Tracing Services
2025 E Street NW, 2nd Floor
Washington, DC 20006
1-877-568-3317

Individuals may register their missing loved ones by filling out a simple registration form. In addition, hurricane victims may also register to inform their loved ones they are safe. All information entered by registrant (name, date of birth and personal address) is publicly accessible on this site.

Salvation Army
1-888-363-2769


Wal-Mart and the Salvation Army offer posting for hurricane victims and their loved ones to post messages.

USPS – United States Postal Service
1-800-275-8777

Hurricane victims in areas without telephone service or internet access should go to the nearest post office, complete a change of address form, and submit the address of the shelter or safe house they are staying at. This will assist in individuals receiving their Social Security checks, emergency correspondence and reunification. As of 09/05/2005 over 36,000 hurricane victims have filed.

DISPLACED VICTIMS DISASTER ASSISTANCE

FEMA – INDIVIDUALS & HOUSEHOLDS PROGRAM
500 C Street, SW
Washington, DC 20472
1-800-621-3362

Individuals can apply for Disaster Relief Assistance to include disaster unemployment, housing, etc.

HUD – US Department of Housing and Urban Development
451 7th Street, SW
Washington, DC 20410
1-866-641-8102

HUD is identifying vacant multi-family housing and HUD-owned homes to be used as temporary housing for hurricane victims. Additional programs for disaster victims are available on the website.


ADDITIONAL HOUSING RESOURCES

More Housing Resources
Hurricane Housing
Katrina Housing
Craig’s Homes Listing
Housing Resource Center
Habitat for Humanity
Houston Chronicle
Refugee Housing Clearinghouse
Open Churches

[URL=http://www.yahoo.com]Yahoo Hurricane Housing Links
Modest Needs

Rides to Shelter
Katrina Caravan Rescue


US MILITARY RESOURCES

Military One Source: 1-800-342-9647


Army Helpline: 1-800-342-9647


Army National Guard Helpline: 1-888-777-7731


Air Force Helpline: 1-800-435-9941
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Navy Helpline: 1-877-414-5358


Marine Corps Helpline: 1-800-342-9647



LOCAL RESOURCES:
(Lists of local charities and assistance in LA, MS and AL).

WBRZ News

Local Louisiana resources listed news and updated daily.

Louisiana Homeland Security & Emergency Preparedness
To apply for Disaster Relief Assistance register with FEMA at

For listings of Louisiana Resources and Shelters

Alabama Emergency Management
To apply for Disaster Relief Assistance register with FEMA at

For listings of Alabama Resources
(Link to Alabama Emergency Management not functioning as of 09/06/2005).

Mississippi Emergency Management Agency
To apply for Disaster Relief Assistance register with FEMA at
www.fema.gov

For listings of Mississippi Resources
www.mema.ms.gov (Link to Mississippi Emergency Management not functioning as of 09/06/2005).

VOLUNTEER SERVICES

National Red Cross (USA)
2025 E. Street, NW
Washington, DC 20006
1-202-3034498
(Use Zip Code Locater on website to locate your local chapter)

Arizona Red Cross
6135 N. Black Canyon Hwy.
Phoenix, AZ 85015
602-336-6660

USA – Freedom Corps Volunteer Network
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20500
1-877-USA-CORPS

Volunteer Match
385 Grove Street
San Francisco, CA 94102
1-415-241-6868

Network for Good
8615 Westwood Center Dr.
Suite 1A
Vienna, VA 22182
1-866-650-4636

VOLUNTEER SERVICES – Cont.

Idealist – Action Without Borders, Inc.
360 West 31st Street, Suite 1510
New York, NY 10001
1-212-843-3973

Do Something – Young People Changing the World
24-32 Union Square East, 4th Floor South
New York, NY 10003

HEALTH AND SAFETY (VOLUNTEER MEDICAL & VETERINARY PERSONELL)

CDC- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
1600 Clifton Rd.
Atlanta, GA 30333
1-800-311-3435

United States Department of Health & Human Services
200 Independence Avenue, SW
Washington, DC 20201
1-877-696-6775


I have done my best to make all of these organizations into links...if any are incorrect, please PM me and I will try to check on them.

 

[fourboys]

Thank you murraydwyer for posting those links.

fourboys