Children search for parents in Katrina chaos

THOUSANDS of children are looking for parents and parents are looking for children displaced in the chaos caused by Hurricane Katrina.

The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children said 500 new cases were reported on Friday. Of the 1,500 cases reported to the centre, 258 have been resolved.

Ernie Allen, the president of the centre, said the problem is growing and he acknowledged not all cases will be resolved with the return of loved ones.

“Meanwhile, we’re working under the assumption that these children are out there,” he said.

In some cases, families put children on buses first and planned to get on different buses they thought would take them to the same shelter.