BATON ROUGE, La (BRPROUD) – The Louisiana Department of Children and Family Services has established a way for families to locate loved ones who evacuated to state shelters from Hurricane Ida.

Those seeking to reach out to loved ones who may be in state communal shelters can call the DCFS Connect line at (225)-342-2727 or fill out a form online.

DCFS says they cannot confirm identities of people staying in shelters for privacy reasons, but families can fill out the online form or call the “Connect” line and provide the name, address and date of birth of the person they are trying to locate. The caller’s own name and contact information will also be needed. DCFS will determine whether the person is in one of the state’s congregant shelters and pass along the caller’s message if possible.

In announcing the launch of the service Saturday, DFS noted that individuals looking for loved ones who evacuated from one of the following seven nursing homes should call 211, which is coordinating with the Louisiana Department of Health’s Office of Aging and Adult Services to connect families:

  • River Palms Nursing and Rehab in Orleans Parish
  • South Lafourche Nursing and Rehab in Lafourche Parish
  • Maison Orleans Healthcare Center in Orleans Parish
  • Park Place Healthcare Nursing Home in Jefferson Parish
  • West Jefferson Health Care Center in Jefferson Parish
  • Maison DeVille Nursing Home in Terrebonne Parish
  • Maison DeVille Nursing Home of Harvey in Jefferson Parish

Those seven nursing homes were ordered closed Saturday by State Health Officer Joseph Kanter, following the deaths of seven residents evacuated to a warehouse in Independence. The Louisiana Department of Health says five of those deaths have been classified as storm-related. State health officials are investigating the deaths amid calls for the owner’s nursing home licenses to be revoked.

Survivors who would like to let their family members and friends know they are safe and well are also encouraged to register at a website set up by the American Red Cross. People searching for loved ones in the disaster area can use the same website to try to locate missing friends or family members in the affected area.