UPDATE: The list was updated September 10. Originally posted 09-06-2005 at 01:19 PM
Unfortunately, there are over 30 sites helping to connect survivors and loved ones. I'm sure if I was trying to find someone I would try them all. Some consolidation would be a big help for the victims. Any suggestions?
In response to a reader's request to help find a missing Katrina victim, I spent some time looking into the efforts to help put people in touch with loved ones missing after Hurricane Katrina.
Forbes reports that 94,000 names have been registered on a website created by the international Red Cross to help people trace their relatives in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. According to Forbes, there were 65,000 names registered yesterday morning.
Florian Westphal of the International Committee for the Red Cross (ICRC) says to keep checking the web site regularly, because new data and new entries are being made all the time. California Yankee has found a number of sites trying to help people get in touch with missing loved ones.
American Red Cross Family Links Registry
Online at http://www.familylinks.icrc.org/katrina or by calling: 1-877-LOVED-1S (1-877-568-3317) to register.
Biloxi Sun Herald
Online at http://forums.sunherald.com/n/mb/listsf.asp?webtag=kr-biloxkatrina.
Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC)
1-888-544-5475 or online at http://www.missingkids.com/missingkids/servlet/PublicHomeServlet?LanguageCountry=en_US&.
Craigslist
Online at http://neworleans.craigslist.org/laf/.
FamilyMessages
Online at http://familymessages.yahoo.net/.
GCN Survivor-Connector DataBase
Houston Chronicle
Online at http://forums.chron.com/n/pfx/forum.aspx?webtag=hc-katrina.
Hurricane Help
Online at http://hurricane.earthlink.net/.
Hurricane Katrina Connection
Hurricane Katrina message boards
Online at http://boards.news.yahoo.com/boards/.
Hurricane Katrina Survivor Locator
Hurricane Katrina Survivors
Online at http://www.hurricanekatrinasurvivors.com/forum/index.php.
Katrina Family and Friends
Online at http://katrinafamiliesandfriends.com/PHPbb2/index.php.
Katrina Evacuee Help Center
Online at http://disastersearch.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=13&Itemid=57
Katrina Finder
Online at http://www.katrinafinder.us/.
KatrinasLost
Online at http://katrinaslost.com/connect/.
Louisiana Nursing Home Association
Online at http://www.lnha.org/katrina/default.asp.
Katrina Messages
Katrina Survivors
Online at http://www.katrinasurvivor.net/find.cfm?PageNum_GetAll=1&sort=name.
MSNBC.com's Reconnect database
Online at http://msnbc.msn.com/id/9159961/
MissingKatrina.Com
Online at http://callhome.textamerica.com/#m.
Missing Persons Board at Yahoo
Online at http://boards.news.yahoo.com/boards/.
National Next of Kin Registry
Online at http://www.nokr.org/nok/restricted/home.htm.
N.O. Pundit Bulletin Boards
Online at http://www.nopundit.com/bb/.
NoLA Missing
Online at http://www.nola.com/forums/searching/.
Now Public's Missing Persons Board
Online at http://www.nowpublic.com/node/17228.
Pearl River County Katrina Survivors
Online at http://picayunekatrina.blogspot.com/2005/08/picayunepearl-river-county-katrina.html.
Pensacola News Journal Forums
Online at http://community.pensacolanewsjournal.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.cgi?board=missing.
SafeHaven
Online at http://www.safehavennetwork.org/index.php?method=showhtmllist&list=classifiedscategory&rollid=12&fromfromlist=classifiedscategory&fromfrommethod=showhtmllist&clearoff=1. Scroll down.
Salvation Army Information Request Form
The Sun Herald "Reach Loved Ones"
Online at http://forums.sunherald.com/n/mb/listsf.asp?webtag=kr-biloxkatrina.
WWL-TV's forums
Online at http://www.wwltv.com/forums/viewforum.php?f=16&sid=28245b14c7727df3df4bd2e188d4f473.
The Weather Channel Message Boards
Online at http://messageboards.weather.com/3/OpenTopic?a=frm&s=253291764&f=457105398.
The Katrina PeopleFinder Project NEEDS YOUR HELP to enter data about missing and found people from various online sources. If you have as little as one hour of free time. All you need to do is help read unstructured posts about missing or found persons, and then add the relevant data to a database through a simple online form. Please help if you can.
Tags: Katrina, missing persons, Missing Persons Board, Natural Disasters, Alabama, Florida, Jacksonville, Louisiana, Miami, Mississippi, New Orleans, flood aid, Hurricane Katrina
Hello,
I am also trying to help. I have added a link to your website on mine.
It might help if you add a link to mine as well.
http://www.lostcityneworleans.com/
Thanks!
Posted by: Anthony Luk | Thursday, September 15, 2005 at 05:42 PM
Sadly, the number of "search" sites just keeps growing, adding to the confusion for people desperately trying to locate loved ones. It was for this reason that disastersearch.org was created. We provide an easily installed interface so that any site can add a small search form which allows visitors to their site to seamlessly search our database of over 235,000 names. We are not a site which asks for donations, we are not seeking anything at all for ourselves, but we do want to see collaboration between sites in order to provide the largest benefit to those who are searching.
We can assist smaller sites with adding their registrations into the main database, if they wish, and our database is searchable by cellphone via WAP. Many sites already integrate their records into the database and use our search form. Collaboration is what is needed. The agencies did not organize a centralized database, so volunteers from the software and web development community have. Alone, none of the sites make a significant difference to the people who are looking for family and friends, but, together, we could make a huge difference.
Posted by: Lynne | Monday, September 12, 2005 at 07:51 AM
Thanks Ellen.
Posted by: California Yankee | Saturday, September 10, 2005 at 10:30 AM
Here is another for the list www.disastersearch.org.
Posted by: Ellen | Thursday, September 08, 2005 at 08:38 PM