Hunt continues for 1,300 children lost during Katrina

[Thom Little]

In the evacuations after New Orleans flooded, families were scattered across 48 states. Those overseeing evacuations, in their rush to clear people from the city, often separated families as they pressed them onto buses, helicopters and planes, which then went in different directions.

Documentation proving custody of children or other family ties was destroyed or lost. Access to phones and computers was minimal, creating gaps between the time families were separated and the time children were reported missing. Shelters had no coordinated system for feeding evacuees' names, birth dates and other information into a national database.

On top of that, many families were severely splintered even before the hurricane. Many children had been in the care of aunts, grandparents, great-grandparents or unrelated guardians before the storm, and those caretakers often lacked information crucial to finding children, such as birth dates, names of the youngsters' friends, recent photographs and nicknames.

"They're scattered physically, which doesn't help, but they're also scattered socially," said Burke. "When you have this sort of family structure, it's very difficult. When they scatter, they're just gone."


http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051210/NATION/512100408

[bettyellen]

1. kicking

[GoddessOfGuinness]

13. I'd like to do some kicking too...

Wish I could figure out exactly whose butt...

[allisonthegreat]

21. very depressing...

For awhile they were running on CNN the photos of the missing children, but it certainly wasn't that number..I guess the numbers increased with time and verification...sad!x(

[Hyernel]

2. To Bush-style Republicans...in terms of importance...

Black areas of New Orleans rank barely above Darfur, Sudan.

[nashville_brook]

3. remember how bush referred to New Orleans as "this part of the world"

all thru the crisis. shows what he thinks of poor people. black people. non-wasp people. real southerners. etc. etc.

[WannaJumpMyScooter]

8. Shhhh... Darfur is above Top Secret

in our media... you must be some kind of commie to mention that.

[0007]

24. Hey guy, haven't hear from you for a while. (I'm a left wing commie)

:hi:
Like your avatar

[Wind Dancer]

4. There is no excuse for the families still being separated.

After 9/11, the media played a huge role in recovery yet the opposite has happened with Katrina.

[Karenina]

5. Gee... wonder why?

:eyes:

[Wind Dancer]

11. Can't let that death count exceed the numbers on 9/11.

It's much easier to let the families flounder with no governmental help than make the chimp look bad.

[BenDavid]

6. This story and the deaths

of our soldiers in Iraq should be at the top of the news each and every night and the lead story for the cable news at the top of and the bottom of the hour. This is a tough story but folks we need to put pressure on those reprobates to cover this story more.....

[Kurovski]

7. K&R (nt)

[WannaJumpMyScooter]

9. hmmmm. 1300 missing, but only 1k or so died

yeah.

right.

tell me more fairy tales.

[intheflow]

14. And that's just 1300 children.

The adult missing figures are between 4500 and 7000. Probably more, considering that many people least able to get out were elderly or family-less before the storm. Who's reporting the lonely and the forgotten as missing? :cry:

[bettyellen]

17. USA Today put the total at 6,644 as of November 21st......

wish i could find that link....
:hi:

[intheflow]

18. That link would be here:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=161&topic_id=665

It's in the Mississippi forum, for future reference. :hi:

[stickdog]

10. Notice that it's that fault of the "family structure" not the evacuation!

The Repukes' favorite spin: Blame the Victim!

[SleeplessinSoCal]

12. detnews.com? Where's the MSM on this matter?

There's a war on Christmas. That much I know.

[liberalhistorian]

15. I know, kinda shows you the

real priorities of the "liberal" media and the repugs who control it. And this whole "war on Christmas" bullshit is nothing but manufactured attention-whoring, anyway.

[bettyellen]

16. at least Newsweek posted this same story- some of it, word for word

within the last week. i only know this because i posted it.

[ret5hd]

19. start looking in republicans basements...

Republican anti-abortion activist Howard Scott Heldreth is a convicted child rapist in Florida.


Republican County Commissioner David Swartz pleaded guilty to molesting two girls under the age of 11 and was sentenced to 8 years in prison.


Republican judge Mark Pazuhanich pleaded no contest to fondling a 10-year old girl and was sentenced to 10 years probation. Of course it's no contest! How could he even get a fair fight against those activist judges!


Republican anti-abortion activist Nicholas Morency pleaded guilty to possessing child pornography on his computer and offering a bounty to anybody who murders an abortion doctor. - That's the culture of life we all know and love!


Republican legislator Edison Misla Aldarondo sentenced to 10 years in prison for raping his 9 yr old daughter.


Republican Mayor Philip Giordano serving a 37-year sentence for sexually abusing 8- and 10-year old girls.


Republican campaign consultant Tom Shortridge sentenced to 3 years probation for taking nude photographs of a 15-year old girl. I'm sure he had a good explanation.


Republican racist pedophile and esteemed US Senator Strom Thurmond fathered a chiled with a 15-year old black girl.


Republican pastor Mike Hintz, whom George W. Bush commended during the 2004 presidential campaign, surrendered to police after admitting to sexual relations with a juvenile. Praise George!


Republican legislator Peter Dibble pleaded no contest to having inappropriate relations with a 13-year-old girl.


Republican activist Lawrence E. King, Jr. organized child sex parties at the White House during the 1980s.


Republican lobbyist Craig J. Spence organized child sex parties at the White House during the 1980s.


Republican Congressman Donald "Buz" Lukens found guilty of sex with a female minor and sentenced to one month in jail.


Republican fundraiser Richard A. Delgaudio found guilty of child porn charges and paying two teenage girls to pose for sexual photos.


Republican activist Mark A. Grethen convicted on 6counts of child sex crimes.


Republican activist Randal David Ankeney pleaded guilty to attempted sexual assault on a child. Look, he didn't actually do anything. He only TRIED! You can't fault a republican for trying!


Republican Congressman Dan Crane had sex with a female minor working as a congressional page.


Republican activist and Christian Coalition leader Beverly Russell admitted to an incestuous relationship with his step daughter. Prai$e the lord!


Republican governor Arnold Schwarzenegger allegedly had sex with a 16 year old girl when he was 28. I love this country!


Republican congressman and anti-gay activist Robert Bauman was charged with having sex with a 16-year-old boy he picked up at a gay bar. Now I'm sure he can give us a good explanation for this.


Republican Committee Chairman Jeffrey Patti was arrested for distributing a video clip of a 5-year-old girl being raped. Obviously a liberal conspiracy!


Republican activist Marty Glickman (a.k.a. "Republican Marty"), was taken into custody by Florida police on four counts of unlawful sexual activity with an underage girl and one count of delivering the drug LSD. He was obviously trying to help this woman! Do you liberals no shame!


Republican legislative aide Howard L. Brooks was charged with molesting a 12-year old boy and possession of child pornography. Look! It was his own son. Geez you liberals are SICK!


Republican Senate candidate John Hathaway accused of having sex with his 12-year old baby sitter and withdrew his candidacy after the allegations were reported in the media. He was trying to explain to her what NOT to do when in a difficult situation!


Republican preacher Stephen White, who demanded a return to traditional values, was sentenced to jail after offering $20 to a 14-year-old boy for permission to perform oral sex on him.


Republican talk show host Jon Matthews pleaded guilty to exposing his genitals to an 11 year old girl. She could have turned away.


Republican anti-gay activist Earl "Butch" Kimmerling was sentenced to 40 years in prison for molesting an 8-year old girl after he attempted to stop a gay couple from adopting her. Liberal jury of course.


Republican Party leader Paul Ingram pleaded guilty to six counts of raping his daughters and served 14 years in federal prison. Now how could anyone rape their daughter 6 times! Can you say Liberal psycologist!


Republican election board official Kevin Coan was sentenced to two years probation for soliciting sex over the internet from a 14-year old girl. Obviously set up by a liberal computer hacker. These hackers no NO SHAME!


Republican politician Andrew Buhr was charged with two counts of first degree sodomy with a 13-year old boy. What's sodomy?


Republican politician Keith Westmoreland was arrested on seven felony counts of lewd and lascivious exhibition to girls under the age of 16 (i.e. exposing himself to children). You see, actually he happened to be changing out of his bathing suit when these kids walked by.


Republican anti-abortion activist John Allen Burt was charged with sexual misconduct involving a 15-year old girl.


Republican County Councilman Keola Childs pleaded guilty to molesting a male child. He pleaded guilty only to keep his family out of the liberal media's spotlight.


Republican activist John Butler was charged with criminal sexual assault on a teenage girl. She was eighTEEN. That's still a teenager!


Republican candidate Richard Gardner admitted to molesting his two daughters. He only had their interests in mind. Why don't you liberals see that!


Republican Councilman and former Marine Jack W. Gardner was convicted of molesting a 13-year old girl. No comment.


Republican County Commissioner Merrill Robert Barter pleaded guilty to unlawful sexual contact and assault on a teenage boy. That boy was a liberal trying to corrupt his mind. He did the right thing.


Republican City Councilman Fred C. Smeltzer, Jr. pleaded no contest to raping a 15 year-old girl and served 6-months in prison. He did the honorable thing and did his time.


Republican activist Parker J. Bena pleaded guilty to possession of child pornography on his home computer and was sentenced to 30 months in federal prison and fined $18,000. Lies. Lies! All liberal lies!

copied from a much earlier thread... i didn't save any attribution, sorry:
Republican parole board officer and former Colorado state representative, Larry Jack Schwarz, was fired after child pornography was found in his possession. Obviously set up by that liberal media!


Republican strategist and Citadel Military College graduate Robin Vanderwall was convicted in Virginia on five counts of soliciting sex from boys and girls over the internet. Who said republicans were sexist!


Republican city councilman Mark Harris, who is described as a "good military man" and "church goer," was convicted of repeatedly having sex with an 11-year-old girl and sentenced to 12 years in prison. If you do the crime, you do the time + 1.


Republican businessman Jon Grunseth withdrew his candidacy for Minnesota governor after allegations surfaced that he went swimming in the nude with four underage girls, including his daughter. He just wanted to keep an eye out for those girls...and his daughter. He even had pictures to prove it!


Republican director of the "Young Republican Federation" Nicholas Elizondo molested his 6-year old daughter and was sentenced to six years in prison. He LOVED that girl.

[Clara T]

20. kick

[bettyellen]

22. kicking

[pitohui]

23. how they undercount the dead

it doesn't address the topic of children specifically, but check out this article from the nola.com, the times-picayune (new orleans newspaper) website:

http://www.nola.com/newsflash/louisiana/index.ssf?/base/news-21/1134336551214810.xml&storylist=louisiana

the child in the story is known dead, but not counted as katrina dead because, well, she was evacuated to the state of georgia which doesn't intend to count anybody as katrina dead from the sound of it

once they evacuated you out of state, if you died anyway, you're not counted, you don't matter, and they know that 70-plus evacuees died in houston astrodome alone, none of them are on the (still rising) count of the katrina dead

it's disgusting

a true and accurate account should be made

our children and our elderly should not be mislaid so carelessly

Singer Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown was 81 and already seriously ill when he fled the area ahead of Hurricane Katrina, and associates think the stress of evacuating and the heartbreak of losing his home hastened his death.
Still, the master of blues, country, jazz and Cajun music isn't part of Katrina's official death toll of 1,323 people in Louisiana, Mississippi, Florida, Alabama and Georgia.

Neither is 13-month-old Destiny McNeese, who rolled onto her stomach and suffocated on an air mattress after her family fled from Kentwood to Kentucky.

Nor is a 56-year-old New Orleans woman who had a stroke two days after she was bused from the infamous storm refugee shelter in the Superdome to Texas....