A total of 156 Japanese nationals remain unaccounted for in Mississippi and Louisiana following Hurricane Katrina, which devastated the U.S. Gulf Coast, the Japanese Consulate General in Houston said Wednesday.
Of the approximately 1,100 Japanese nationals registered to be living in the two hardest-hit states, the consulate said it could not contact and confirm the safety of the 156 in question as of Monday night.
The consulate added, however, that it has received no information regarding the death or injury of any Japanese nationals in these areas.
Many Japanese have already evacuated, and there are also cases of some who had changed their residence before the disaster.
Officials at the Japanese Consulate General in New Orleans, one of the most severely affected areas, are also researching the whereabouts of the Japanese nationals via phone calls and home visits.