If you are having trouble contacting a loved one after Hurricane Melissa’s destruction in the Caribbean, the American Red Cross may be able to help through its Restoring Family Links program.
“Families separated by international crises can turn to the Red Cross and Red Crescent Network’s Restoring Family Links program for help,” said Lallita Maharaj, Director of Service to the Armed Forces and International Services for the American Red Cross in Greater New York. “The three short words ‘I am alive’ may be all that is needed to ease the minds of distraught loved ones.”
The American Red Cross helps reconnect loved ones when:
- Families are separated internationally as a result of conflict, disaster, migration or other humanitarian emergency.
- Families have already tried normal channels of communication to reconnect.
- The family member making the inquiry is able to provide essential information on the sought person.
- The family member making the inquiry is a relative who had been in direct contact with the sought person before the crisis occurred
To begin this process, call our helpline at 1-844-782-9441 or submit a Restoring Family Links inquiry form on our website.
A Red Cross caseworker will then contact you and help you complete a tracing form, asking questions about your family member’s date of birth, physical features, possible location and any additional information that could help identify them. The tracing form helps the Red Cross review and distribute the case in the country identified as the best place to begin the search for the person in question.
HOW DOES IT WORK? Each year, the American Red Cross helps reconnect hundreds of families separated by war, disaster or migration around the world. This work to locate missing loved ones is done by our dedicated volunteers, in partnership with global Red Cross and Red Crescent teams.
Searching for missing persons is complex, requiring search methods tailored to each situation. Field work on individual cases, data analysis, humanitarian dialogue with authorities, access to areas that are difficult to reach, forensic science, and new technologies are some of the ways that the global Red Cross and Red Crescent network collects and consolidates information to search for answers about the fate and whereabouts of missing people on behalf of their families.
OTHER IMPORTANT LINKS After a disaster, communities could be affected by widespread power outages and limited internet connectivity which can make it difficult to reach people. If you are looking for someone, we recommend:
- If you are concerned about a United States citizen who is traveling or living abroad, contact the US State Department Office of Overseas Citizens Services and Crisis Management at 1-888-407-4747 or online at: https://travel.state.gov/content/passports/en/emergencies.html.
- If you are searching for a loved one who is not a United States citizen, submit a Restoring Family Links inquiry form on our website: https://www.redcross.org/contact-us/international-reconnecting-families-inquiry-form.html.
- If you live in a country other than United States, visit the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) online for information about what services the ICRC and your local Red Cross or Red Crescent Society can provide.
