Britons missing after hurricane

There are 96 Britons missing in the southern US in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, according to the Foreign Office.

Efforts are under way to locate the missing people, who include:

CHARLOTTE HARDY

Charlotte Hardy, 70, from Nottingham, is missing.

Her sister Barbara Hardy hopes that a woman photographed being comforted by President George Bush may be Charlotte.

MARK HASHMY

Mark Hashmy, 36, sent a text to his mother Gloria, in Devon, outlining the desperate conditions in flooded New Orleans.

She told the Evening Standard newspaper there had been no further contact with her son and that she was in "turmoil".

DAWN HOLLAND

Dawn Holland is a former dancer from Islington, north London.

The 54-year-old lives in Biloxi, Mississippi, and is married to a US airman.

MIKE NOONE

Engineer Mike Noone, 51, lives near New Orleans on the north shore of Lake Pontchartrain, reportedly hit by a 20ft-high sea surge when Hurricane Katrina struck.

'No contact from big brother'

His children - Patrick, 24, Ryan, 19, and 16-year-old Marion - and ex-wife Virginia also live in the area.

All five are missing, and Mr Noone's brother Tom, 48, of Abingdon in Oxfordshire, has been unable to make contact on his sibling's mobile phone.

"If he has evacuated he'll be wondering where the children are," Tom Noone said.

"Or maybe he went looking for them when the hurricane hit. I've thought of every possibility."

He added: "We are very close. We normally talk through his work e-mail. I've done everything I can to try to find him. "It's an obsession. He's my big brother. I have to know."

Mike Noone has lived in the US for nearly 30 years and has worked on Nasa's space shuttle programme.

PENNY ROUNCE

The family of fashion student Penny Rounce has not heard from the 21-year-old since receiving an e-mail before Katrina struck.

LES AND KIRSTY WATSON

Les and Kirsty Watson, of Doncaster, were last heard of in New Orleans with relatives Patricia and Kylie Watson.

VERNON CARROLL

Vernon Carroll, 47, who lives in New Orleans, spoke to his mother a few days before the hurricane and promised he would be in touch when he and his wife had found a safe place to stay.

But Jill Amend, of Richmond, Surrey, has since heard nothing.

"If he says he is going to do a thing, he will do it. But the call never came," said Ms Amend.

"I feel very negative as each day goes by. It is hard to describe - it is just an appalling situation.

"He is my only child - my only relative in the world."

Relatives of Britons in the region when Katrina struck can call a UK helpline - 0207 008 0000 - or contact the British consulate in Houston on 001 713 659 6270.

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