Katrina Help

I found out today one of my co-wokers family is in New Orleans and he has not been able to get in touch with them. I founds some sites for him and thought I might as well post them here as well. When I find out what area his family is in I'll post that and their names as well, just in case.

• http://littlecoop.100megsfree5.com/katrina/
• http://katrinahelp.info/wiki/index.php/Main_Page
• http://www.nola.com/
• http://www.hurricanekatrinasurvivors.com/

Other tips I've found online:

• The Sun Herald is setting up an “IÂ’m OK Line” for folks who left the area to phone in and let their relatives know where they evacuated to. ItÂ’s a toll free number and the information will be printed in the paper and posted online. You can call (866) 453-1925.

• People can also try amateur (ham) radio to send messages inquiring about loved ones into the areas. To find a local (to you) ham who can pass these messages, contact a club near you ( http://www.arrl.org/FandES/field/club/clubsearch.phtml). You can also locate nearby hams by searching by city name or zipcode, at (http://www.qrz.com/i/names.html). Hams often have a lot of backup power (huge batteries, generators), so they can transmit during power outages.

• I read several places that sending text messages to cell phones is working even when incoming and outgoing calls do not work.