Community Develops Online for Families Searching for Victims
Sept. 1, 2005 — -- Two days after last hearing from his mother-in-law in New Orleans, Maryland resident Walter Harris on Wednesday logged onto a message board to ask, "If anyone on this message board can help us, please respond … we are going crazy."
Harris is one of the thousands of people using technology to try and reach loved ones who may have been displaced by Hurricane Katrina.
Message boards and chat rooms have an eerie resemblance to the missing persons posters that went up on lampposts and bus kiosks in London after the July 7 subway bombing, and in New York City after the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks. But this time, the descriptions of the missing and details about their last known whereabouts are piling up online.
"I felt this was the last idea I have to try and communicate," said Harris. "Maybe somebody will see the message and respond."
Not Alone
In Harris' case, the Internet helped him find solidarity with other families in similar situations.
"I find it very comforting," said Harris. "It's not a happy feeling, but OK, I'm not the only one who cannot dial into New Orleans."
Good news arrived for Harris late Wednesday, when his mother-in-law finally reached relatives to say she was OK.
Kathy Cross, of Houston, went online to seek information about her niece's family, who live in Mississippi and have not been heard from in several days.
"It's kind of a nice way to vent or just see that you're not alone," Cross said. "You do realize so many people are affected. Even if it's just to say, 'Hey, here's a hug coming your way.'"
Others are using the Web to help friends who were displaced from their homes. Jody Coleman, 30, posted a message on the ABCNEWS.com message board asking for details about her friends' neighborhood in New Orleans. Her friend, husband and three children managed to evacuate to a hotel in Alabama but have little information about their home.
"I am able to find more detailed info on all different Web sites for her," said Coleman via e-mail. "Some info she was not even aware of. It isn't like she can communicate with anyone else who lives near her, since phone lines are down … I know they have to be going crazy wondering what they will come home to or if they will even have a home."
Building a Web Community for Displaced New Orleans Residents
As Hurricane Katrina hit land in the Gulf Coast, one of New Orleans' city guide Web sites became an important source of information for those most affected.
The site, Nola.com, already had message boards for local communities, but the tone quickly changed.
"There's been a great outpouring," said Joe Territo, executive editor of Advance Internet, which runs regional sites including Nola.com. "People are also, around the country, using the Web site as a way to communicate their wishes to people in New Orleans."
He said the site is hitting record numbers for traffic, as displaced hurricane victims chat about their neighborhoods and seek information about their relatives. Territo added a missing persons log to the site Tuesday, and within 12 hours there were 1,600 listings.
"It's really emotional to read them," said Territo. "Its just message after message … 'I'm looking for my niece and she's missing in New Orleans in the lower Garden District.' It's very touching to see how people are using this forum to get any thread of information."
And that information also benefits the staff for the Web site, who Territo said are working under chaotic circumstances. "They're scattered throughout the New Orleans region and they're trying to work on producing this Web site, at the same time they have situations here -- their homes have been damaged or destroyed," he said.
To help them out, Territo has employed the help of editors and Web producers in New Jersey, Oregon, Ohio, Pennsylvania and other regions.
Charitable Offerings Amid the Pleas
As the online community continues to grow, message boards have become an additional source for those who want to help in the relief effort.
In between pleas for information about missing relatives are generous offers from those who want to offer shelter or practical assistance.
"I remember last year we were out of water and out of light, maybe an hour or two hours … and I can't even imagine something like this," said Rene Cotto of Orlando, Fla. "My mother would be hysterical if she wasn't near me trying to figure out where I was."
That memory of her experiences during hurricanes in Florida led the 28-year-old to post a message on the New Orleans Craig's List board, offering to relay messages for people with limited phone access by taking lists of relatives they wanted called and making the calls for them.
She has not yet received any requests, and realizes that, sadly, the people who might benefit the most from the offer will have a tough time getting access to the Web.
These kinds of offers led to a 300 percent boost in traffic for the New Orleans' Craig's List site this week, according to Chief Executive Officer Jim Bruckmeister. "The most striking use was the 'lost and found' category where there's typically one or two posts per day. Tuesday there were 712."
"It's definitely poignant to see all of the activity around this," said Bruckmeister.
Other postings on his site include vague offers from folks who will do anything that needs to be done, or others offering shelter to people whose homes were destroyed.
"We live out in here in the country, and we're on 114 acres and have six bedrooms and plenty of room," said Linda Falco of Patton, Mo.
The 49-year-old has nine children, but was still willing to take in a few more people. "I just feel so sad that so many families have lost everything and I'm sure they don't know what to do," said Falco. "There's a whole world of people who really care and really do want to help … we would be more than happy and very blessed to be a part of the community of caring people that are trying to help these people put their lives back together."