And the Real Task Begins
It could be months before the full impact of the New Orleans fiasco is known. Survivors are dispersed everywhere. It is going to be hard enough to reunite broken families. The real problem will be in identifying the deceased. With so many bodies to identify, this will be a daunting task. I can't imagine that every single corpse will have proper identification on them. Who is to say that the wallets of the deceased haven't been looted with the rest of the city?
Three things are required, I think. First, a roster of all known residents of the city is needed. As people are identified, living or deceased, the remaining roster becomes priority. As people are identified, mark where they are and who they are with. Notations should be made for any parties not accounted for from these interviews. The second and third things required are listings of the deceased and listings of those living and displaced. We may need a fourth database of those unidentified victims with full descriptions and notes on the locations where they were found.
All three databases would need to be cross-referenced. If this family is missing a 90-year old grandmother and we find a body that matches her description, we have a contact that might be able to help in identification.
I can almost guarantee you that there are still more people hiding out in their homes. They may be barely living without electricity and such, but we need to find all of these people as well. Without telephone, internet, and radio, some people don't know what the next step is. Even if they do know, they may not be able to react.
I don't relish the idea of anyone working in these heart-breaking conditions. Reuniting a family or relocating one is a wonderful thing, but the rest is just too much for the average mind to grasp.
Three things are required, I think. First, a roster of all known residents of the city is needed. As people are identified, living or deceased, the remaining roster becomes priority. As people are identified, mark where they are and who they are with. Notations should be made for any parties not accounted for from these interviews. The second and third things required are listings of the deceased and listings of those living and displaced. We may need a fourth database of those unidentified victims with full descriptions and notes on the locations where they were found.
All three databases would need to be cross-referenced. If this family is missing a 90-year old grandmother and we find a body that matches her description, we have a contact that might be able to help in identification.
I can almost guarantee you that there are still more people hiding out in their homes. They may be barely living without electricity and such, but we need to find all of these people as well. Without telephone, internet, and radio, some people don't know what the next step is. Even if they do know, they may not be able to react.
I don't relish the idea of anyone working in these heart-breaking conditions. Reuniting a family or relocating one is a wonderful thing, but the rest is just too much for the average mind to grasp.
posted by Vickie at 7:18 PM
1 Comments:
I'm so glad you and your family weren't there. I had thought that only you were in Texas, so this is a relief. Thanks so much for stopping by and letting me know.
I think I can understand your wanting to go back to help. I probably would too. I think I'd be afraid of what I would find, though.
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