National Institute for Urban Search and Rescue Launches Katrina Victim
Location Website
SANTA BARBARA, Calif., Sept. 2 /PRNewswire/ -- The National Institute for
Urban Search and Rescue (NIUSR) has launched a web site aimed at facilitating
the location of victims of Hurricane Katrina. The web site will present a
consolidated source of information about missing persons with information
collected from a number of missing persons lists and web sites. The victim
location website, http://www.niusr.org, serves as a place where families and loved
ones can identify those missing or known to be safe. Information about
individuals missing and those confirmed safe will be posted on this website
with the information periodically updated. The information will also be
directed to other web sites for posting.
In addition to collecting names from those registered on this site, NIUSR
has arranged with the San Diego State University Super Computing Center to
facilitate collecting information from a variety of web sites used for
reporting missing and confirmed safe individuals. The consolidated
information will be posted on the NIUSR website.
Lois Clark McCoy, president of NIUSR, stated the site was launched after
receiving numerous inquiries from family and friends desperate to find
information about the safety of their loved ones in the aftermath of Hurricane
Katrina. "We are very appreciative of the help we received from the San Diego
State University Super Computing Center and AudienceCentral. Their generous
donation of technology and technical assistance has made it possible to
quickly launch this communications center."
The launch of the NIUSR victim location center was inspired by an inquiry
received by the uncle of 24 year old Lauren Clark, who hadn't been heard from
since heading to a local shelter to care for her wheelchair-bound family
members. Her uncle, Doss Fowler of Destin, FL, contacted NIUSR after
realizing that the shelter his niece was reporting to was on Highway 90, which
was reported to be heavily damaged and underwater in some areas. Mr. Fowler
was later able to contact NIUSR, through the same inquiry method, confirming
his niece's safety.
The National Institute for Urban Search and Rescue (http://www.niusr.org) is a
self-funded, non-profit association of individuals dedicated to saving more
lives in the next disaster. For 35 years, NIUSR has been on the forefront of
technology and best practices, assisting industry, government and other
organisations to better enable the citizen to "save thyself."
The San Diego Supercomputer Center (http://www.sdsc.edu) is a world leader in
using, innovating and providing information technology to enable advances and
new discovery in science and engineering. Focusing on data-oriented and
computational science and engineering applications, SDSC serves as an
international resource for data cyberinfrastructure through the provision of
software, hardware and human resources in multi-disciplinary science and
engineering, and serves as a leadership national cyberinfrastructure Center to
the National Science Foundation (NSF) and broader community.
AudienceCentral (http://www.audiencecentral.com) provides web communication
technology to facilitate public information distribution in major events and
crises. Numerous agencies and companies involved in responding to Hurricane
Katrina are using AudienceCentral's PIER system, including the US Coast Guard.
Contact:
Lois Clark McCoy
NIUSR
1-800-767-0093
1-805-569-5066
PO Box 91648
Santa Barbara, CA
93190
niusr@cox.net
SOURCE The National Institute for Urban Search and Rescue
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Related links:
http://www.niusr.org
CONTACT:
Lois Clark McCoy of NIUSR, +1-800-767-0093,
or +1-805-569-5066, or niusr@cox.net
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