[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 9]
[House]
[Page 11637]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                            ANSWERED PRAYERS

                                 ______
                                 

                              HON. TED POE

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, June 15, 2006

  Mr. POE. Mr. Speaker, the costs of Hurricane Katrina and Rita are far 
more than dollar amounts. For days, thousands of people fought for 
survival among the rising flood waters, lack of food and water, and 
outlaws victimizing the weak and helpless. In an attempt to lead the 
smallest victims of the hurricanes to safety, desperate, yet well-
meaning parents sent their children with family and evacuation workers 
fleeing for safety. Their hope was to reunite after the storm; however, 
full panic soon engulfed Louisiana and Texas. Many parents found it 
impossible to locate these children once the storms had passed. 
Terrified parents made heart wrenching pleas to anyone who would 
listen. They spent countless hours praying for news of their kids.
  Mr. Speaker, one organization heard their prayers and responded with 
the will and manpower to find these children. The National Center for 
Missing and Exploited Children would undertake the tremendous task of 
locating 5,172 missing children. Mr. Speaker, after the winds stopped 
and the flood waters receded, all 5,172 children were found. It was 
only through the unwavering and relentless dedication that these 
children were found, and returned to the safe arms of their parents. I 
now pay tribute to those tireless children crusaders.
  The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, NCMEC, was 
established in 1984 by John and Reve Walsh in response to the 
kidnapping and disappearance of their son, Adam, in 1981. The center 
makes it their mission to locate, and successfully bring home, missing 
children across the United States. When Hurricanes Katrina and Rita hit 
Louisiana and Texas, the U.S. Department of Justice requested NCMEC's 
help in locating the displaced children of the hurricanes' victims. 
NCMEC responded with lightning speed, establishing a Katrina Missing 
Persons Hotline, with 30 telephones and 160 highly trained Project 
ALERT and Project ADAM volunteers to man the hotlines. Over the next 
few days, they would report thousands of missing child sightings.
  These child crusaders spent long days and nights looking throughout 
America for these missing children. Photographs were used to help 
identify these children. The center tracked down leads, handled phone 
calls, and in the end, reunited families. They did not perform these 
tasks all on their own, however. The U.S. Postal Inspection Service, 
USPIS, American Airlines, and thousands of nameless, silent volunteers 
aided the NCMEC in the successful recovery of all 5,172 missing 
children.
  The U.S. Postal Inspection Service responded to the prayers for help 
much like the NCMEC. These highly dedicated lawmen and women used the 
U.S. Postal Service's change of address information system to reunite 
these families. Safety precautions were taken by the USPIS to ensure no 
misuse of the information system occurred. Members of the highly 
trained Project ALERT and Project ADAM teams, as well as the NCMEC case 
analysts, worked in cooperation with the special Hurricanes Katrina and 
Rita change of address operation in Tennessee, reunited children with 
parents. American Airlines became the angels in the sky for the NCMEC, 
donating numerous airline tickets, which successfully led to 89 
children being brought home safe.
  I was present when First Lady Laura Bush held a reception on Monday, 
June 12, at the White House to show appreciation to all those wonderful 
people. She invited these heroes to join her, along with six Members of 
Congress, and several of the reunited families. Everyone extended 
heart-felt gratitude for the tireless efforts achieved by these 
individuals. Rebecca Gonzales, wife of Attorney General Alberto 
Gonzales and John and Reve Walsh were present as well. The First Lady 
praised the collaborative efforts of these organizations and 
individuals, expressing her gratitude for the heroes who relentlessly 
crusaded for the most helpless victims of the hurricanes--the children.
  It is my honor to pay tribute to the National Center for Missing and 
Exploited Children, as well as the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, 
American Airlines, and thousands of volunteers for answering the 
prayers of the despondent hurricane parents. Today, 5,172 children have 
been led back to their families, another example of Americans helping 
Americans when the tidewaters of trouble have risen.

                          ____________________