Louisiana Family Find Center Closes with 99% of Cases Resolved
Release Date: August 11, 2006
Release Number: 1603-520
» More Information on Louisiana Hurricane Katrina
» More Information on Louisiana Hurricane Rita
NEW ORLEANS, La. -- The phone wouldn't stop ringing, and each voice sounded more distraught than the one before, some cracking with tears, others screaming in desperation.
Most people would have found Melissa Austin's job at Louisiana's Family Assistance Center emotionally grueling. She was one of about 200 operators answering calls from families in search of missing hurricane victims after Katrina.
But Austin found her work to be extremely rewarding, even therapeutic. "I had lost my daughter in a car accident a year earlier," she said. "I wanted to do something to help other parents find their children. In some ways, I felt lucky in that at least I knew what had happened to my daughter. Many of these people had no idea where their loved ones were. I was able to understand their loss."
The Louisiana Family Assistance Center opened on September 7th as a national point of contact for people seeking relatives and friends. It was a coordinated effort by Louisiana's Department of Health and Hospitals, the U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services, the Louisiana State Police and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). People from all walks of life, volunteers and paid professionals, including mental health professionals, genetic experts and mortuary specialists, came together to investigate leads and use every resource available to track down the missing persons.
Austin, who has a background in bookkeeping and computer software, quickly moved from answering the phones to the investigative unit, where she would pour over hundreds of lists, web sites and search engines, cross-checking names, last-known addresses and medical records. Investigators worked with an eight-page questionnaire that included information provided by family members about the person for whom they were looking. "All the information was confidential and we tried to be sensitive about not being too intrusive," said Austin . "And sometimes, we just didn't have much to go on. Many people didn't remember birthdays or didn't know social security numbers."
Like any good investigator, Austin often relied on diligence and instinct. One night she was searching for a pregnant woman whose family had evacuated to Mississippi , but had not heard from her since the hurricane. As Austin scoured web sites, she noticed a note from a woman letting her family know that she was okay and staying in a hotel in Thibodaux . "She had a very common name, and I had seen dozens of leads with the same name that went nowhere. But I had a hunch," said Austin . "It turned out it was the same woman. When I called her mother in Alabama, it was so great to hear her screaming and yelling and crying with happiness."
Many people were found once they established new phone numbers or utility hookups. "I reunited a father and daughter who had both called me within days looking for one another when the father got a new phone number," said Austin.
Perhaps Austin's most remarkable find was that of a woman who was reunited with her birth family. Barbara Wyatt, 48, had lived in New Orleans most of her 48 years, but didn't know her biological mother was living in Woodville, Mississippi, until Austin tracked her down. "I had been trying to find my mother over the last few years and couldn't," said Wyatt. "Then when she saw what happened on the news, my birth mother wondered if I still lived in New Orleans . She had left me with a family there when I was a baby. My biological sister said to her that this may be the last chance to find me, so they called the 800 number."
Seven months later, Austin found Wyatt's new address on a search engine. "The name didn't exactly match - it had her married name on it, but there was other information that led me to believe it could be her. I figured I had nothing to lose if I pursued it a little further," said Austin .
The diligence of Austin and the rest of the investigative unit of the Family Assistance Center resolved 99 percent of the 13,200 missing reports received until it closes.
"This was one of the most comprehensive and successful searches for missing persons in the nation's law enforcement history," said Louis Cataldie, M.D., acting State Medical Examiner.
The search was particularly challenging because unlike after 9-11, DNA traces of the missing had been washed away along with all their property and belongings. Most of the cases were solved without the use of DNA identification.
For her part, Austin is grateful that she was able to be a part of it. "This wasn't just a job for me. I would wake up every day and say, I'm going to find someone today. It was awesome," she said.
The unresolved cases have been transferred to the local law enforcement area from which the person was reported missing. Those still missing loved ones should contact their local law enforcement who will be working to make sure these lost persons are not forgotten.
FEMA manages federal response and recovery efforts following any national incident. FEMA also initiates mitigation activities, works with state and local emergency managers, and manages the National Flood Insurance Program. FEMA became part of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security on March 1, 2003.
Last Modified: Friday, 11-Aug-2006 10:46:35