There are so many missing...

[agnes!]

There are about 2400 children still missing, with parents desperately searching for their loved ones. There are many hospital patients who were safely evacuated and now their families and friends don't know where they are. The last I heard, the LSU Healthcare System had about 150 patients whose whereabouts are *still* unknown. Nobody in the media has mentioned the fact that so many non-ambulatory patients have seemingly vanished, after being handed over in good faith by the originating hospitals to the evacuating authorities.

Please, if you know of a hospital or nursing home that has evacuees, please request that they report their Katrina residents to the Find Family National National Call Center: 1(866)326-9393 .

There are some frantic people out there who haven't heard from their loved ones for 3 WEEKS.

agnes!

 

[BoyLovesBuzz]

I fear that we are in for heartbreaking stories that will span generations. Based on the HORRIBLE fate that has befalling many lost and orphaned children in SE Asia, during the Tsunami (sp?), I shudder to think, what the Monsters that prey on children in this country will do.

 

[s&k'smom]

I was just gonna post on this. I'm heartsick over the children. CNN is running pictures and the phone number for the Center for Missing and Exploited Children trying to reunite the families.

 

[agnes!]

I am a Life List Surfer (http://www.lifelist.us/) and have personally been involved with two successful family reunions, one through Life List and one through The DIS .

I am now searching for two particular hospital patients, one a 48 year-old black man, one a white woman in her 80s...the Katrina Diaspora is no respecter of a persons supposed place in society. All races, creeds, religions have been affected, all these missing people have families & friends & volunteers searching for them.

Unfortunately, I have become somewhat of an expert on The Katrina-Missing and know that the conditions of evacuations were beyond belief. But the hospitals did their part, they got their patients on those buses or on the helicopters or however they got those in their care...they got them *out*. They were handed over, in good faith, to the evacuating authorities and the trail goes cold. Now I know that the receiving/destination hospitals have reported any evacuee patients to *some* office, *some* person(even if they're reported as a John or Jane Doe)...the problem is that the information is not getting to the families and/or to the originating hospitals.

So I'm off today to rattle the biggest blankin' cages I can find. Senators, Congresspeople, Media, Military...I don't CARE who or what I have to talk to! IT'S BEEN THREE WEEKS!!! These families deserve to know *whatever* happened to their loved ones. If it's bad news, so be it. If it's good news(I hope & pray so), then let the rejoicing begin. And I'm not doing this just for Walter Shepherd and for Lucille Besnard...I'm doing it for EVERYBODY who is unaccounted-for.

Bring them ALL home.

P & PD please - I'm off to do battle,
agnes!

 

[LMC]

I just don't understand how the parents just don't know where the kids are. If a storm of this magnatude were headed my way, there is now way I would have left my kids in the care of anyone else. They would have been with me, not grandma, not aunt or uncle. My fear is that all these people have drown since there is "no word" at all on them. It is sad for the youngest who had no say in their own care. I am afraid they will find many in attics. Since New Orleans is obviously a different world (from news reports) than everywhere else I try not be be critical of the people and their decisions but geesh, my kids would have been with me. If I would have had to work, they would have been with me or I would have quit work. OR, best of all I would have evacuated even if it was only 60 miles inland. Anyone can come up with enough gas $ or bus $ to go that far.

 

[luvthatduke]

I just don't understand how the parents just don't know where the kids are. If a storm of this magnatude were headed my way, there is now way I would have left my kids in the care of anyone else. They would have been with me, not grandma, not aunt or uncle. My fear is that all these people have drown since there is "no word" at all on them. It is sad for the youngest who had no say in their own care. I am afraid they will find many in attics. Since New Orleans is obviously a different world (from news reports) than everywhere else I try not be be critical of the people and their decisions but geesh, my kids would have been with me. If I would have had to work, they would have been with me or I would have quit work. OR, best of all I would have evacuated even if it was only 60 miles inland. Anyone can come up with enough gas $ or bus $ to go that far.

LMC, we may get flamed but I am in agreement with you on this.

Not sure if I agree with your last statement, as it's been widely
reported that tens of thousands of very poor people in NO had
absolutely no way of getting their hands on $$$.
No ATM card, no money in the checking account, no cash at home, etc.
I've been there in some respects so I do sympathize with someone
who really doesn't have the ways or the means to get themselves out
of Dodge.

That being said, your comments regarding the children echo completely
what my DH & I have been talking about for weeks.
Why oh why were thousands of children left alone?
I know from some reports that the rescuers could
only take the children, leaving no room for the adults.
But, I still cannot logically reconcile the shear number of children
that are still being reported as missing!!
I just don't understand it, and my heart literally aches as I pray
for the children that are separated from their loved ones.
DH & I weep when we talk about it and look at our 2 1/2 yr. old DS,
we cannot imagine purposely leaving him with someone else
while such warnings are coming, nor can we imagine him left
somewhere without us or anyone he knows - can you imagine his fear??????

God help us, I pray that every avenue is being torn apart
trying to get the children back to the people they know.

 

[BuckNaked]

From what I've read, a number of these parents did EXACTLY what any of us would have done - when the rescuers came, they said "Take my kids first". This led to many of the separations that we're seeing today.

 

[gina2000]

"Take my kids first".

Yup. That's what parents say and do when they love their children more than they care about themselves and their own survival.

 

[yeartolate]

From what I've read, a number of these parents did EXACTLY what any of us would have done - when the rescuers came, they said "Take my kids first". This led to many of the separations that we're seeing today.

In a heartbeat I would have given my child to a rescuer. I will have an easier time saving myself alone than with a child in tow. I would have an easier time knowing my child was safer.

 

[BoyLovesBuzz]

...but geesh, my kids would have been with me. If I would have had to work, they would have been with me or I would have quit work.

Would your kids have been with you if you thought you were going to die?

 

[mickeyfan2]

I am afraid they will find many in attics.

I'm afraid this will be the case. When they search a house they only look in the windows. They are not entering locked homes. I'm afraid they will find more bodies when people return.

 

[questioner]

I still do not understand it. It would seem that the missing relatives would contact a people that they know to get a message back to everyone that they were OK. Were'nt there any common out of town relatives or friends the people could call? If my son, daughter, wife, or other relative were to be shipped off to another shelter than me, he/she would call all the out of town relatives, and he/she would get to a Library to send me an email. (I would somehow get to a computer to check my email)

 

[BuckNaked]

In a heartbeat I would have given my child to a rescuer. I will have an easier time saving myself alone than with a child in tow. I would have an easier time knowing my child was safer.

Same here. And if I couldn't save myself, at least I would know my kids are safe.

 

[wvrevy]

Same here. And if I couldn't save myself, at least I would know my kids are safe.

There was a story (I'm thinking it was in Sports Illustrated last week) about a parent putting her two sons into their football coach's car and sending them out of New Orleans with him. The coach was getting his own family out, and had room in the car to fit two more people in, but no more. The boys' mother put her kids in the car and sent them with their coach to his parents' house in South(?) Carolina.

As of their printing date, they still had not heard from their mother or a sister that had been left behind in New Orleans. That mother did exactly what I would have done, has probably been evacuated, but may have lost any contact information she had in the flooding. She would have no way of getting ahold of her children.

In other words, I completely agree with Brenda.

 

[Miss Jasmine]

Given the choice of my life or my kids' lives, the kids win hands down. I think it selfish to put them in harms way just so everyone can stay together.

 

[treesinger]

I'll join the ITA parade of parents sending their children away with the rescuers.

 

[luvthatduke]

Ok, I'm piping up again to say that yes, I would definitely
hand my son over before DH & I got on, that's a no-brainer.
I wasn't implying that parents that did that shouldn't have.
However, no matter how many times I got caught in
a hurricane warning that didn't pan out,
I would still put my son's safety ahead of staying.
I would have left long before the last day,
even if I had to walk out a few miles.

What I have a difficult time understanding is why
the rescuers took thousands of children to "wherever"
and didn't go back for their parents.
Not blaming the rescuers, not at all,
I wasn't there so I can't understand the chaos.
But, I just can't help but wonder why so many very young
children were dropped off and left on their own.
That's what frightens me and concerns me.

 

[Conversationist]

How about some type of DNA test of the people who are looking for their children. Then test the children at the shelters who are without parents. Some type of computer matching could be done.

I read that in ten years most kids will be given shots that will insert a computer chip that will allow them to be tracked by Global positioning Sat systems. People are already doing that to pets and retail merchandise.

 

[MrsKreamer]

Ok, I'm piping up again to say that yes, I would definitely
hand my son over before DH & I got on, that's a no-brainer.
I wasn't implying that parents that did that shouldn't have.
However, no matter how many times I got caught in
a hurricane warning that didn't pan out,
I would still put my son's safety ahead of staying.
I would have left long before the last day,
even if I had to walk out a few miles.

What I have a difficult time understanding is why
the rescuers took thousands of children to "wherever"
and didn't go back for their parents.
Not blaming the rescuers, not at all,
I wasn't there so I can't understand the chaos.
But, I just can't help but wonder why so many very young
children were dropped off and left on their own.
That's what frightens me and concerns me.

This is EXACTLY why my DH evacuate each and every time. When we evacuated August 27th, we had $200 in savings and $150 in checking. We spent most of that by Tuesday. Right before payday is tight for us. My son's safety is worth far more then any number I can think of. At least we had a car, but you can bet anything that if we didn't I would have done anything to get some money to evacuate. I feel bad for those who stayed, but no way would I have stayed.

 

[LMC]

I have seen many on TV saying that their kid(s) were left with a grandparent or friend while the parent went who knows where on Sunday before the storm hit. This is what I am referring to when I say I would have had my kids with me and not letting them go on any sleep overs or visits. We knew how many days that this storm was coming. And, that NO would "probably" have severe flooding if the storm came in at a cat4 or higher.

IF we would be in a situation where we are stranded and are told by rescuers that there is only room for kids on this trip, then YES, I would put my kids on and pray for the best and hopefully find them. I think alot of the kids that this was done for are being found by relatives. Perhaps the kids still left may not have any surviving parents and maybe other relatives don't realize they are out there left alone yet.

I also feel that the authorities were not set up to handle these unaccompanied kids at first and then had to scramble to find them and get a place for them when they realized how many were coming in w/o an adult.

This is a nightmare on so many levels so hopefully someone is taking some good notes and these situations won't ever happen again.

From what I've read, a number of these parents did EXACTLY what any of us would have done - when the rescuers came, they said "Take my kids first". This led to many of the separations that we're seeing today.