National Hotline To Locate Missing Hurricane Victims Established

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Press Release
National Hotline To Locate Missing Hurricane Victims Established

Katrina Missing Persons Hotline, 1-888-544-5475, Will Go Live at12:00 Noon (Eastern) on Monday, September 5

ALEXANDRIA, VA - September 4, 2005 - The U.S. Department of Justice has asked the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) to set up a coordinated missing persons process to locate and reunite Hurricane Katrina victims in Mississippi, Louisiana, and Alabama. NCMEC staff is working through the weekend and will have the Katrina Missing Persons Hotline, 1-888-544-5475, operational at 12:00 Noon Eastern time on Monday, September 5, 2005. Photographs, names, and physical descriptions of missing adults, missing children, and found children from hurricane-stricken areas will be posted to NCMEC's web site at http://www.missingkids.com/.

NCMEC has also deployed representatives ­ retired law enforcement officers ­from its Team ADAM and Project ALERT programs to the states affected to assist families with their missing persons reports. The representatives will also provide technical resources to facilitate the transfer of photographs and other data to NCMEC¹s headquarters in Alexandria, Virginia.

NCMEC is urging media to air the missing persons flyers to aid in there unification efforts. Viewers may access the information on missing persons and found children by clicking on the ³Katrina Missing Persons² graphic on NCMEC¹s homepage at http://www.missingkids.com/.

In addition to the U.S. Department of Justice¹s Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, NCMEC is working in cooperation with the network of state missing child clearinghouses, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and other state and local law enforcement agencies. With these partners, NCMEC will also be assisting with the identification of unidentified deceased victims. Images of the unidentified decedents will be digitally-enhanced in an effort to create the best likeness that can be shown to the public to aid in positive identifications of victims.

Long-time corporate partners of NCMEC¹s are providing valuable equipment and services to aid in this effort. Digital cameras and scanners are being supplied by Canon U.S.A. At the request of the parent or guardian, Lifetouch National School Studios will be providing school photographs of children, as possible, if no photograph is available of a missing child. Sprint Nextel Corporation has equipped the Team ADAM and Project ALERT representatives with cellular technology. NCMEC is grateful for the support of these private sector partners and for the dedicated volunteers who will be answering the Katrina Missing Persons Hotline.

Team ADAM and Project ALERT are made up of specially-trained retired law enforcement personnel who are available to assist law enforcement agencies in missing child and child sexual exploitation cases.

About the National Center For Missing & Exploited Children NCMEC is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that works in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Justice's Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. NCMEC's congressionally mandated CyberTipline, a reporting mechanism for child sexual exploitation, has handled more than 340,000 leads. Since its establishment in 1984, NCMEC has assisted law enforcement with more than 116,000 missing child cases, resulting in the recovery of more than 94,000 children. For more information about NCMEC, call its toll-free, 24-hour hotline at 1-800-THE-LOST or visit www.missingkids.com.

CONTACT:
Communications Department
NCMEC
703-837-6111