Kids of the Hurricane

We all are well too aware of the enormity of the devastation caused by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. The loss of both property and life has been beyond anything we have seen in this country in many, many years.

And while recovery and rebuilding efforts are now underway, there are countless children and adults that are either missing or separated from their families. Indeed, the shelters that were set up in the aftermath of Katrina are still home to many children who have no idea where there parents are or even if they are still alive. And, if that weren't bad enough, many of these children are too young to be able to provide the social workers caring for them with much more than their first names.

Fortunately, each day finds at least some of these children being reunited with their families, but there are still many waiting for their reunions. To facilitate this process The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children in partnership with FedEx Kinko's, has posted pictures of many missing children and children who have been separated from their parents on their website. At this point, the site still contains pictures of over 130 children. In addition, there is a list containing the names of over 2,600 children that have been reported missing in the aftermath of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

Needless to say, the large number of children involved is putting a severe strain on the resources of National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, the entity that has been charged with the responsibility of reunited these children with their families. Making the task more difficult is the fact that some of these children have been sent to shelters in Texas as well as outside of the Gulf Region. And, was Hurricane Rita began its approach toward the Texas coast, many of these children were moved once again.

And, while reuniting the children with their families is the primary objective, the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children has another very important concern: the safety and well-being of each child remaining in the shelters. This means ensuring children are not released to non-custodial parents as well as protecting them from the over 4,500 registered sex offenders that are now unaccounted for.

What the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children cannot control, however, is the treatment of children being cared for outside of the shelter system. And, unfortunately, there will likely be many children who are physically, emotionally or sexually abused by their caretakers. Sadly, given their vulnerable state, it's highly unlikely that these children will seek the help they need and will instead endure the abuse rather than risk being returned to a shelter.

How You Can Help

Even if you don't live in the Gulf Region, there are ways you can help. If you are providing shelter to a child or know of a child that has been separated from their family in the aftermath of Katrina or Rita, you can bring them to any FedEx Kinko's location to be photographed free of charge. These pictures will be sent to The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children so that they can be posted to the website.

And, if you haven't done so already, you should contact The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children's Katrina Missing Persons Hotline at 1-888-544-5475 to let them know you are caring for a child that has been separated from their family. The child's name and other vital information will be entered into their database so that efforts can be made to locate their family.

Finally, if you know of a child who is being abused by their caretaker, you should immediately contact the National Child-Abuse Hotline at 1-800-422-4453.

Important Contact Information

Pictures of missing can always be found at The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. In addition, children missing as a result of Katrina and Rita are posted on their Katrina/Rita Missing Persons page. You can also call the Center at 1-888-544-5475.

To obtain a list of registered sex offenders in your area, you can visit your state's sex offender registry web site. A list of those sites has been provided by the Federal Bureau of Investigation: State Sex Offender Registries.

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