|
Hurricane Katrina Success Stories
Sisters Reunited With Family Through a Chance Meeting
| 
|
Twelve-year-old Jessica and 18-year-old
Tiffany were separated from their mother while evacuating from New
Orleans. The girls stayed with a friend and traveled to Baton Rouge,
Louisiana, but were unable to let their family know where they were.
Meanwhile, their mother made her way to a shelter in Livingston
Parrish, Louisiana, and began seeking information through the American
Red Cross.
Their aunt phoned the National Center for Missing & Exploited
Children's (NCMEC) Hurricane Katrina Missing Persons Hotline seeking
information on the whereabouts of the girls and emailed their photos.
NCMEC issued posters with their photos online seeking information
about their whereabouts and began cross-searching registries. In
the meantime, their aunt bumped into them in a Wal-Mart store in
Baton Rouge and was overjoyed to find them. The family is working
with the American Red Cross to reunite the girls with their mother. |
Father Searches for Wife and Five-Year-Old Son
| 
|
Fernando was required to work in New Orleans
during Hurricane Katrina and thought his wife and 5-year-old son,
Santiago, would be safe from the storm in a hotel in Houston. When
he returned to the hotel after the storm he was shocked to find
them gone. By-standers believed his wife had left in a car with
some women, to perhaps try to return to their New Orleans apartment
and salvage a few items. His wife had phoned her relatives in Colombia
after the storm, but did not describe her location, leaving Fernando
without any clues to pursue. The distraught father sought the National
Center for Missing & Exploited Children's (NCMEC)
help in locating his family. NCMEC began checking registries and
uploaded photos of both the boy and his mother to its web site.
More than a week later the family was finally reunited. |
Publicity Helps Daughter and Mother Find Each Other After Hurricane
Katrina
| 
|
Ten-year-old Ashley was evacuated from
Braithwaite, Louisiana, with her custodial godmother and found refuge
at the godmother's daughter's home in Baton Rouge,
Louisiana. Ashley's mother phoned the National Center for Missing
& Exploited Children's (NCMEC) hotline, after not being able to
reach the girl or her godmother, seeking information on her daughter's
whereabouts and expressing concern about her safety. NCMEC issued
an online poster and began seeking her information about her location.
The publicity online and through the news media caused several concerned
people, who saw Ashley's picture, to call
her godmother in Baton Rouge. These calls, in turn, caused the godmother
to telephone NCMEC and report their safe location. She asked for
contact information for Ashley's mother and NCMEC staff
members were able to put them in touch. |
Family Members Locate Displaced Mother and Daughter Through NCMEC Hotline
Relatives of 4-year-old La'Mayra and her mother, concerned
when they did not hear from them after their evacuation to the Houston
Astrodome from New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina, contacted the
National Center for Missing & Exploited Children's (NCMEC)
hotline seeking information on their whereabouts. NCMEC began publicizing
the search for La'Mayra and her mother. After seeing a broadcast
on CNN mentioning the mother, a woman called NCMEC to report that she
is staying at a hotel with the mother and daughter in Houston and they
are safe. Afterwards, La'Mayra and her mother were able to
contact their relatives to let them know that they are safe.
Blended Family Back in Contact After Hurricane Katrina
|
|
Twelve-year-old Ericka and 11-year-old
Larry took shelter at Charity Hospital in New Orleans with their
mother before Hurricane Katrina. Their other relatives became concerned
when they did not hear from them after the storm. The children's
father and stepmother sent photos to the National Center for Missing
& Exploited Children (NCMEC). After seeing the photos on CNN, the
children's
mother phoned the NCMEC hotline to report they are safe at a hotel
in Atlanta. NCMEC informed the father and stepmother of their location,
and the family members are back in contact with each other. |
Mississippi
Family Reconnects After CNN Broadcasts Child's Photo
| 
|
Sherry is only 4-years-old, but she has
already survived a major disaster. Concerned when they could not
contact her mother and stepfather at their home in Gulfport, Mississippi,
after Hurricane Katrina, her father and aunt contacted the National
Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) and requested assistance.
They sent a photograph and NCMEC began distributing her picture and
posters to the public requesting information. After seeing the child's
photo on CNN, her mother called the NCMEC hotline to report that
she is safe and staying with her. NCMEC helped the family make contact
with each other. |
Father Finds Displaced Son in San Diego With Help of Child Services
Worker
| 
|
After Hurricane Katrina, Jamal's
father became concerned about his 13-year-old son, who lived in
Gretna, Louisiana, with his grandmother. The tiny community was
slammed by the storm and as an evacuee to the Convention Center
in Houston himself, it was very difficult for Jamal's father
to find out if his son was okay. He talked to a child protective
services worker at the shelter who called the National Center for
Missing & Exploited Children's (NCMEC)
hotline to ask for help. Jamal's
grandmother was located at a church shelter, but she had also become
separated from the boy and did not know where he was. After the
search for Jamal was publicized, his mother phoned the NCMEC hotline
to report he was safe with her in San Diego, where an apartment
had been donated to the family. |
Father and Son Reunited at River Center in Baton Rouge, Thanks to Caller
A father phoned the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children's
(NCMEC) hotline seeking help to find his 11-year-old son, Gregory. The
following day the boy's
uncle called NCMEC saying the family thought Gregory might be in Baton
Rouge, Louisiana. Following a lead from a caller who saw publicity about
Gregory's
case, NCMEC staff members contacted the staff managing the River Center
shelter in Baton Rouge where Gregory was found with a family member.
The father drove to the shelter and was reunited with his son. They
are now staying in temporary housing in Georgia.
CNN Helps Mother Find Daughter After Hurricane Katrina
| 
|
After 13-year-old Tia became separated
from her mother in New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina, her mother
phoned the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC)
seeking help. Her mother, who was in Mississippi, didn't
know where Tia was but said she was last known to be with her 72-year-old
grandmother in New Orleans. NCMEC prepared a poster using a photo
provided by her mother. When Tia's picture aired on CNN,
a child at a middle school in Texas recognized her and informed
the school principal. The principal called Tia into his office
and placed a call to her mother, letting the two speak for the
first time since the hurricane. Tia's mother is making
arrangements to join her. |
Friend Keeps Child Safe, Boy Reunited With His Family
| 
|
Seven-year-old Calvin was staying with
his great-grandmother in New Orleans when Hurricane Katrina hit.
During the evacuation, she left Calvin in the care of a friend of
the family. After Calvin's photo and a report were uploaded
to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC)
website, a volunteer called the NCMEC hotline saying Calvin might
be enrolled at an elementary school in Houston, Texas. His mother,
who had evacuated and was in temporary housing, asked that Calvin
be taken to his grandmother's
home in Georgia where he could attend school and be with his family.
A Team ADAM consultant assisted with picking up the boy and arranging
a flight for him to Atlanta, where he was reunited with his grandmother.
Calvin's family
said they were very grateful for the assistance in recovering him. |
Social Worker Helps Children Find Their Parents After Chaotic Separation
at Superdome
|
|
A social worker phoned the National Center
for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) hotline trying to help a
father and mother locate their children, whom they had not seen or
heard from for four days. Twelve-year-old Emil, 8-year-old Ronell,
8-year-old Ronald, and 3-year-old Treneka were separated from their
parents on a bus leaving the Superdome in New Orleans. The desperate
parents hoped their children were with friends of the family who
were also on the bus. NCMEC staff members filed a report on the missing
children and began tracking leads and searching shelter registries.
The children were found staying with family friends at the Dallas
Convention Center and reunited with their parents two weeks after
their separation. |
Two-Year-Old
Reunited With Mother Thanks to Project Angel Flight and
Team ADAM
Alvin, who is only 2-years-old, was separated from his mother during
evacuation from New Orleans. He ended up at a shelter in the Austin Convention
Center in Texas, while his mother was in a shelter in Thibodeaux, Louisiana.
A Team ADAM consultant contacted Project Angel Flight, and transportation
for Alvin was arranged. He flew with a volunteer from Texas to Baton Rouge,
Louisiana, and was reunited with his mother.
One-Year-Old Boy Rescued With Family After Hurricane Katrina
One-year-old Darrell has crammed a lot of living into his short life:
he's endured family separation, an evacuation, and a major
national disaster. His premature baby brother was stranded at the hospital
in New Orleans when Katrina struck while Darrell weathered the storm
with his mother and an older brother at their apartment. The baby was
evacuated by the hospital staff, but Darrell and the rest of his family
faced a desperate situation as the floodwaters rose and they began
to run out of food and water. Miraculously, a member of the National
Guard heard Darrell's older brother's cries for help
and the family was rescued. Meanwhile, Darrell's father,
who was separated from the family by the storm, phoned the National
Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) hotline and requested
assistance locating Darrell. NCMEC staff members searched online and
found a brief Internet posting made by his mother asking for contact
with the family and friends she had lost touch with. The NCMEC case
manager called the number listed online and confirmed Darrell was safe.
Darrell's father was very happy to hear his son was alright and began
arranging transportation so he could be with him.
Aunt Locates Sister and Ten Nieces and Nephews Through National
Center for Missing & Exploited Children
Tara's ten nieces and nephews lived in New Orleans and she
became very worried when she could not contact them after Hurricane
Katrina. She knew the children were supposed to travel with a family
member to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, but when she couldn't find
them anywhere or reach their mother she called the National Center for
Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) hotline asking for help. NCMEC staff
members searched the American Red Cross list of evacuees and found a
listing for their mother at a shelter in Lafayette, Louisiana. Shelter
staff confirmed the mother and her ten children had been at the shelter
and reported they recently moved to a house. Tara was very happy to hear
that all were together and safe and NCMEC gave her contact information
for them.
Volunteer Helps Mother Separated From Son at New Orleans Convention
Center
The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) hotline
received a call on September 9 from a volunteer calling on behalf of
a mother in Corpus Christi, Texas. The mother lost her 17-year-old son
during the chaotic evacuation from the New Orleans Convention Center.
Nearly a week had passed since she last saw her son, Marcel, who was
separated from her boarding a bus to leave the Convention Center. Fortunately,
Marcel made it safely to Houston and contacted his older sister, who
was also evacuated. His sister talked to NCMEC staff members and they
were able to connect her with their mother. The mother was very happy
to hear Marcel and his sister were all right. Marcel is attending school
in Houston and staying with family.
"Kalite
Unknown" Reunites With Her Mother, Thanks to People Magazine
|
Originally listed online as "Kalite Unknown,"
this 2-year-old girl arrived at a shelter in Mississippi after New
Orleans was evacuated following Hurricane Katrina. No one knew her
last name, her mother's name, or even if her first name
was correct. She stayed with a family friend in New Orleans during
the storm, but was then left her in the care of others during the
evacuation. The caretakers brought her with them to a shelter in
Mississippi where they learned quickly that she had a ready smile
and loved to eat bananas. Only days after "Kalite Unknown"
was featured in People magazine, a caller from California provided
a lead. The caller had seen a woman featured on CNN and believed
she was the mother of Kalite. Following up on the clue, "Kalite's"
mother was found in Houston, and local law-enforcement officers
helped reunite
"Kalise," with her mother only a week after
the magazine published her picture. |
Boy Reunites With his Mother After Being Separated at the New Orleans
Superdome
|
Four-year-old Lynzell was separated from his mother
during evacuation from the Superdome in New Orleans after Hurricane
Katrina. Lynzell arrived at a shelter in Minden, Louisiana with
his aunt and was very worried about his mother. Both of them grew
more anxious as days went by with no word from her. The National
Center for Missing & Exploited Children listed Lynzell on its
website as a found child who was seeking his mother and began publicizing
his story. Meanwhile, his mother, who was evacuated from the Superdome
to a church shelter in Texas, was also trying to find out what had
happened to Lynzell and his aunt. She finally got in touch with her
brother and found out where they were. The church arranged transportation
for her to Minden and the family was reunited two weeks after their
initial separation. |
Eleven-Month Old Boy Returned to Mother After Chaotic Separation
Ty-Ray is all smiles when he is reunited
with his mother. (Photograph by NCMEC) |
Eleven-month-old Ty-Ray left Lafayette, Louisiana,
after Hurricane Katrina hit with his mother and aunt but soon became
separated during the evacuation. His mother was directed to on a
bus headed to San Antonio, while his aunt carried Ty-Ray onto another
bus. While on the bus his aunt fainted and Ty-Ray was taken out
of her arms and separated from her. When Ty-Ray's mother
arrived in San Antonio and saw neither her sister nor her son she
became distraught. No one knew who took Ty-Ray or where he and his
aunt were. The mother met a Team ADAM consultant in San Antonio,
and he helped her find Ty-Ray, who had arrived at a shelter in Louisiana.
Ty-Ray and his mother were reunited five days after the evacuation. |
Five Siblings Rescued by Helicopter and Return to Mother
Thirteen-year-old Oneal was evacuated with his brothers and sisters
ages 3, 5, 10, and 11 by helicopter from their flooded home in Houma,
Louisiana. Their mother was later rescued and taken to the Convention
Center in Houston. She could not find her children and filed missing
persons reports with the American Red Cross, which contacted the National
Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC). A case manager at NCMEC
was able to "match" her report with five "found"
children in a shelter in Louisiana. One week later, on September 7,
2005, the children were placed on a private jet and flown to Austin
where they were reunited with their mother.
Babysitter Safeguards 8-Month-Old
Eight-month-old Moesha was with her babysitter as New Orleans residents
evacuated after Hurricane Katrina flooded most of the city. Moesha's
mother was separated from her child and could not find the babysitter.
She phoned the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC)
seeking help. A case manager at NCMEC was able to locate the babysitter's
boyfriend and eventually found the babysitter in Gretna, Louisiana, where
she was still caring for the child. Moesha's
mother was ecstatic when she received news of her daughter's
location and arrangements were made through NCMEC and Team ADAM consultants
on the ground in Louisiana to reunite them.
Alert CNN Viewer Helps Son Join His Mother
Caleb was reunited with his mother
last week, thanks to an alert CNN viewer. his mother. (Photo Source:
NCMEC) |
Caleb was visiting his non-custodial
father in Avondale, Louisiana when they were forced to evacuate
His mother contacted the National Center for Missing & Exploited
Children (NCMEC) when she could not find her son and filed a missing
child report. Thanks to a tip from a shelter volunteer who saw the
child's
picture on CNN, NCMEC staff located her son in Houma, Louisiana with
his father. A detective picked up the boy and took him to the airport,
where he was placed on a plane and reunited with his mother. |
Two-Year-Old Finds Mother Thanks to Technology
This 2-year-old couldn't tell shelter
workers her name, but was reunited with her mother after a Team ADAM
consultant snapped her picture. (Photo Source: NCMEC) |
Sometimes children are so traumatized
from their experiences during a disaster like Hurricane Katrina
they can't even tell rescuers their name. Shelter organizers
in San Antonio found a frightened 2-year-old girl alone, extremely
upset, and unable to tell them anything about herself. A Team ADAM
member from the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children
(NCMEC) photographed the little girl and her photo was placed throughout
the shelter on bulletin boards. The mother's
child saw the pictures and was reunited with the little girl. |
Mother Reunited With Hospitalized Newborn
Janall was born only two weeks before Hurricane Katrina struck New
Orleans, and the premature baby was still in the hospital when the storm
hit. Her mother tried desperately to get to the hospital after the storm
struck, but she was not able to. After arriving at a shelter in San
Antonio the mother talked to a consultant from the National Center for
Missing & Exploited Children's (NCMEC)
Team ADAM and reported her daughter missing. Working in cooperation with
Texas Child Protective Services, the child was found at Presbyterian
Hospital in Dallas, where she had been taken by the hospital staff after
the city flooded. A private donor helped transport the mother to Dallas
to be reunited with her baby.
Brave Teen Leaves New Orleans and Reunites With Mother
Brittany, 17, was reunited with her
mother after Hurricane Katrina. (Photo Source: NCMEC) |
Can you imagine leaving your home amid
rising floodwaters and navigating on crutches a city thrown into
turmoil? That's how Brittany, 17, left New Orleans. She
was evacuated to Louisiana State University Hospital and then taken
to Gonzales, Louisiana. A Team ADAM consultant from the National
Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) met Brittany and
began to search for her mother. Using the American Red Cross website,
the NCMEC case manager found her mother at a private residence in
Houston. Her host family drove to Gonzales and brought Brittany back
to Houston to be with her mother. |
Shelter Volunteer Asks NCMEC to Help Two Boys Find Their Family
Wanda was helping comfort evacuees at the Cajun Dome in Lafayette,
Louisiana when she met 14-year-old Corieal and 12-year-old Vancaulian.
The boys were alone and had lost their mother during the evacuation
after Hurricane Katrina. She called the National Center for Missing
& Exploited Children (NCMEC) seeking help to find the boys'
parents. NCMEC staff made numerous calls trying to find their mother.
The Texas Department of Social Services helped locate her at a shelter
in Gainesville, Texas. The family was reunited on September 5th.
Pregnant Mom Reunited With Missing 1-Year-Old Daughter
Doting mom Rachel holds her 1-year-old
daughter Te-Erika in Houston after teary-eyed reunion. (Photo Source:
NCMEC) |
New Orleans native Rachel lost both her
boyfriend and her 1-year-old daughter during the evacuation of the
Superdome in New Orleans. Rachel, who is nine months pregnant, said
when angry people in the crowd fired shots at rescue helicopters
she dove underneath a parked truck for safety and her contractions
began. Rescue workers rushed her to the New Orleans airport but
her boyfriend and 1-year-old daughter, Te-Erika, couldn't
come with her in the ambulance. Rachel eventually ended up at the
Astrodome in Houston where she met a Team ADAM consultant from the
National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC). She asked
for his help in finding her missing daughter. After searching through
online databases and placing phone calls, NCMEC found her daughter.
Rachel and her daughter were reunited. |
Five Children Rejoin Their Father and Grieve Loss of Mother
For five brothers and sisters in flooded-out New Orleans the only thing
they had left after Hurricane Katrina was each other. As the water filled
the streets after the storm, their family went to the Convention Center.
Their mother became ill and was taken with their father and aunt to
Baton Rouge and then to a hospital in Lafayette, Louisiana, where sadly,
she passed away. Meanwhile the five children were evacuated by helicopter
to Baton Rouge and then taken to Jonesboro, Arkansas. In the midst of
their moves they lost touch with their parents. A social worker in Jonesboro
helped counsel the children and called the National Center for Missing
& Exploited Children (NCMEC) seeking help finding their parents. Their
father had also called NCMEC to report his location and seek information
about his children. Staff from NCMEC arranged a conference call to reconnect
the children with their father. Arrangements were made for the children
to rejoin their father in Opelousas, Louisiana.
Five-Year-Old Picked Up on I-10 Bridge Reunited With His Mother
Five-year-old Lecour was reunited
with his mother in Houston, Texas last week. He was found alone on
the I-10 bridge in New Orleans and lost his family during the city's
evacuation. |
Team ADAM received a report from evacuees
at the Louisiana State University shelter about a 5-year-old missing
child named Lecour who was last seen alone on the I-10 bridge in
New Orleans. Good Samaritans on the road picked up Lecour and later
dropped him off at an emergency shelter in White Castle, Louisiana.
Shelter staff in White Castle phoned the National Center for Missing
& Exploited Children (NCMEC) and a search began for his mother. Lecour
told them his birthday and his mother's
name, as well as the name of the street he lived on in New Orleans
and the church his family attended. Staff at NCMEC ran several Internet
searches and cross-plotted the information against rosters. They
eventually found his mother near the Astrodome in Houston through
a listing with the American Red Cross. NCMEC's Team ADAM
made arrangements with Project Angel Flight to fly Lecour to Houston
where he was reunited with his mother at the airport. |
Teenage Brother and Sister Separated from Parents After Roof-Top Rescue
Brandon and Ashley were rescued by
helicopter from the roof of their flooded New Orleans home and will
soon be reunited with their parents. (Photo Source: NCMEC) |
Thirteen-year old Ashley and 17-year-old
Brandon were rescued by helicopter from the roof of their flooded
Canal Street home in New Orleans. The teenaged sister and brother
ended up at a shelter at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge
but had no idea where their parents were. Team ADAM and the National
Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) staff located their
parents through the American Red Cross website in Austin, Texas.
Project Angel Flight flew the parents to reunite with their children
and the teens are in good health, in spite of their harrowing ordeal. |
Preschoolers Reunited With Mother
For two tiny boys, getting back to their mother has been quite a journey.
David is only 4-years-old, but he's been a good big brother
through a lengthy ordeal to 2-year-old Markel. After their family fled
their home in New Orleans' flooded Seventh Ward , the boys
were separated from their family members. Their older sisters - 9-year-old
Anisha and 5-year-old Kia - traveled with their grandmother to Atlanta
during the chaotic evacuation. Their mother, who initially went to
a shelter in Louisiana, eventually made it to Atlanta to rejoin her
older daughters but could not find the boys. Meanwhile, David and Markel
had been evacuated to Houston with their aunt, but had had no way to
reach their mother. A Team ADAM consultant on the ground in Louisiana
examining shelter rosters found a notation about the mother and also
a note about the younger boys being sent to Houston. The Team ADAM
consultant helped the family make contact and assisted with making
arrangements for a flight for the mother to go to Houston to meet her
young sons.
Team ADAM Helps Family Members in Different States Find Each Other
A Louisiana mother searching for her two teenagers called the National
Center for Missing & Exploited Children's (NCMEC)
hotline. She heard her children might have been taken to a shelter in
Utah and requested help in locating them. NCMEC staff found the children
in Utah and Team ADAM consultants in Texas put the searching mother
in touch with the Utah Department of Protective Services. The children
were sent by bus from Utah to Louisiana and were reunited with their
mother on September 5.
Missing 12-Year-Old Sees Her Name on a List of Missing Children
On Sunday, September 4, a case manager at the National Center for Missing
& Exploited Children (NCMEC) compiled a list of all children reported
missing as a result of Hurricane Katrina to NCMEC. The list was sent
to shelters in Shreveport and Baton Rouge, Louisiana, where it was posted.
Twelve-year-old Allison was separated from her parents when she was evacuated
from Chalmette, Louisiana. She saw her name on the list and called NCMEC
to report her location. She was given her parents'
location information and the Louisiana State University Emergency Shelter
assisted in her reunion with her family.
Twelve-Year-Old Rejoins Family at Astrodome in Houston
Twelve-year-old Raychelle's family sought shelter from Hurricane
Katrina at the Superdome in New Orleans. Her family was airlifted to
the Astrodome in Houston, but Raychelle was sent to a shelter in Oklahoma.
A Team ADAM consultant found Raychelle's family at the Astrodome
and helped reunite Raychelle with her family.
Mom Gets Help From the National Center for Missing & Exploited
Children and Reunited With Three Children
Tessica was able to leave flooded New Orleans, but was separated during
the evacuation from her three children, Teaera, Tyrone, and Monique.
She phoned the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC)
seeking help finding her children. A NCMEC intern assisting with Hurricane
Katrina responses found one of the children's
names through a web site search. After calling Nicholls State University
campus in Thibodeaux, Louisiana, all three children were located at
a shelter, in addition to being with three cousins. All six children
were flown to Houston on September 8 to reunite with their mothers at
the Astrodome.
Seven Children Rescued by Helicopter
Gabrielle reunites with her mother,
Marcella, in San Antonio. (Photograph by Team Adam member Paul Burke) |
Gabrielle was one of the seven children rescued by
helicopter from the flood on an elevated highway in New Orleans
and evacuated to storm shelters in Baton Rogue. Photos of the children
were placed on the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children's
(NCMEC) web site. Through the work of Team ADAM consultants, a
NCMEC staff member, and social workers, the mothers of the children
were located in relocation shelters in San Antonio, Texas. Louisiana
social workers traveled with the children aboard an aircraft to San
Antonio and Team ADAM consultants in San Antonio transported the
5 mothers to the aircraft to meet their children. |
|
Privacy Policy
