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Press
Release
ARIZONA AGENCY PROVIDES NATIONAL ASSISTANCE FOR "KATRINA"
MISSING ADULTS
PHOENIX, AZ – September 12, 2005 - The U.S Department
of Justice, Bureau of Justice Assistance, has requested the assistance
of the Phoenix based National Center for Missing Adults (NCMA) to provide
case management and support services to the families of missing adults
impacted by Hurricane Katrina in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama.
The Phoenix agency is working directly with the National Center for Missing
& Exploited Children (NCMEC) in Virginia to provide the first-ever
coordinated national response to assist missing victims of a mass disaster.
On Monday, September 5, 2005 the NCMEC launched the national Katrina
Missing Persons Hotline 1-888-544-5475 to accept phone calls
for missing children, children looking for parents and guardians, and
adults. The Virginia based NCMEC takes the report of the missing adult
and forwards the adult data to NCMA in Phoenix to then respond and assist
in the process to locate and reunite family members.
The Katrina Missing Persons Hotline has received a total of 14,926 Katrina
related calls. Of that number, 6,422 reports of missing adults have been
forwarded to NCMA; 434 cases have been resolved. The agency has extended
hours of operation to 16 hours a day. Seven Project Alert volunteers from
NCMEC, all retired law enforcement officers, were deployed to Phoenix
to assist in the call center. In addition, Phoenix Police Department has
assigned detectives to NCMA to assist with the volume of cases. These
agencies working together illustrates the significant efforts of all first
responders on the local, state and federal levels collectively responding
to the needs of Hurricane Katrina victims. Along with the deployment of
Project Alert volunteers to provide support to assist NCMA staff, NCMEC
also sent computers, scanners and printers to help accommodate the additional
staff and volunteers needed to provide assistance to such a large number
of families searching for their loved ones. Photographs (when available)
and descriptive information of missing adults is posted on www.missingadults.org.
NCMA is urging the public to continue to call the NCMEC Katrina Missing
Persons hotline with all information related to missing victims as the
result of the hurricane. The two agencies united their efforts to help
reduce the mass confusion and help prevent further exploitation of those
desperately needing assistance. Public and private agencies and even the
public have set-up hundreds of websites in an attempt to help but these
commendable efforts complicate the information sharing process that is
vital to efficiently locating missing persons. Staff and volunteers at
NCMA use various methods in an attempt to reunite families including cross-referencing
information with the Red Cross, medical examiners and law enforcement.
The US Coast Guard has provided assistance to NCMA and has dispatched
helicopters to several residential locations in an effort to confirm the
health of individuals reported missing to the agency.
“The numbers reported are overwhelming and the magnitude of this
event has certainly taxed our agency’s resources, said Kym Pasqualini,
Chief Executive Officer of NCMA. “Knowing we are making a difference
one family at a time, helping them cope with the multiple traumas they
have suffered gives everyone involved in this catastrophe the strength
and resolve to continue at this pace for as long as we are needed.”
NCMA is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization working with local, state
and federal law enforcement, medical examiners and coroners. NCMA is the
only national missing adult clearinghouse funded by the US Department
of Justice, Bureau of Justice Assistance to provide advocacy and support
services to families of missing adults. NCMA is also directly involved
in the President’s DNA Initiative, “Advancing Justice through
DNA Technology” and has begun facilitating the collection of DNA
samples from family members of missing adults to be sent to the University
of North Texas Health and Science Center and cross referenced with unidentified
remains.
CONTACT:
Kym Pasqualini 602-749-2000, ext. 102
National Center for Missing Adults 2432 W. Peoria Ave. Suite 1286 Phoenix,
AZ 85029
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