Utahns Wait to Hear from Family Members in Hurricane Area

Utahns Wait to Hear from Family Members in Hurricane Area


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Tonya Papanikolas ReportingSince the hurricane hit many Utahns have been scrambling to get a hold of family members in the Gulf Coast area, and some still haven't heard from their relatives. Phone communication has been so bad it's just a waiting game for a lot of families here. But they're trying to stay positive.

Jennifer Roundy, Hasn't Heard from Father since Hurricane: "I'm sure there's people all over the world that know what I'm feeling. There's a lot of people that don't know where their family or friends are. It's unbearable. It's surreal to even explain what I'm feeling."

Jennifer Roundy's father is a deputy sheriff in New Orleans. She hadn't heard from him since before the hurricane. She says she tried to text-message and call him, but had been unable to get through. So she started making fliers asking people to make donations to help hurricane victims. Finally this afternoon someone in her family did receive word that he was okay.

Another Utahn, Mike Lawson, is on his way to Mississippi right now to look for his brother, grandfather and mother, even though he doesn't know how he'll get into the city of Long Beach.

Voice of Mike Lawson, Searching for Family: "I had a message, a garbled message that said, 'We survived the storm,' and then reception was lost. And so that's the only information I've been able to find out."

Christie Bennett, Heard from Father: "This is the first time that something has hit home so close and I was petrified."

Christie Bennett was also worried about her father in New Orleans, but finally heard from him last night. She says he lived right by a levy that broke and washed water into his building. He was able to get to the roof and was rescued by boat. She said she believes there's a lot of people out there who just don't have access to phones.

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