3 members of missing SF family found alive

[Sequoia]

Search for James Kim continues

15:24 PST -- Three of four members of a San Francisco family missing since Nov. 25 have been found safe in Oregon, authorities said this afternoon. Kati Kim, 30, and her daughters Penelope, 4, and Sabine, 7 months, were rescued today. Kim's husband, 35-year-old James Kim, is still missing, authorities said.

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/12/04/BAGR2MP9383.DTL

[mikelgb]

1. man not one detail

[rainbow4321]

2. Here's more info

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/12/04/BAGR2MP9383.DTL

After having been missing for more than a week, a San Francisco mother and her two children were found safe today in remote area of southwest Oregon, authorities said.

Kati Kim, 30, was waving an umbrella when she was spotted at 1:45 p.m. by a helicopter crew that had been hired by the Kim family, said Lt. Gregg Hastings of the Oregon State Police. Kim and her two daughters, 4-year-old Penelope and 7-month-old Sabine, were found with the family car on winding Bear Camp Road, which runs from Grants Pass along Interstate 5 to the coastal town of Gold Beach.

Kim's husband, James Kim, 35, left the car two days ago in snowshoes to look for help, authorities said. He has not been found. Searchers plan to look for him into the night.

Hastings said Kati Kim was "very talkative." She and her daughters were being taken to a hospital for treatment.

[truthisfreedom]

3. wild... they've got to feel very good about hiring the helicopter crew.

whew. lucky.

[Sequoia]

26. But why didn't the Highway Patrol, etc. look for them like they do other lost people?

[FightingIrish]

7. The road they took is treacherous even in good weather.

It's a poorly maintained, winding mountain road. The scenery is beautiful, when you can see it. There are unprotected sheer drop offs to the Rogue River below and pot holes that could swallow a small car. After the last near disater, it should have been barricaded or at least posted with extreme caution signs. I took it once in good weather and my wife is still giving me crap for it.

[RamboLiberal]

4. I hope James is found ok - scary story

And to any DU'ers who travel in rural areas in winter - even on the interstates - make sure you pack survival gear in your car that can keep you alive for several days or more in your vehicle.

[karlrschneider]

5. Wow, I'm happy to be gladly surprised!

Now they need to find James!

[flamingyouth]

6. Oh my God, I am so glad at least they're okay

How frightening. I was really fearing the worst for all of them. I hope they find James as well. What a terrifying story. It's been all over the news up here.

[EFerrari]

8. please let the dad be found.

[Lone_Star_Dem]

9. Bittersweet news.

My thoughts are with the family, may their father/husband be found alive.

[sjdnb]

10. I am praying for James and the family

I've been following this since the family went missing. Thankfully, mom and the girls have been found and, hopefully, soon dad will be joining them safe and sound.

[MissB]

11. Local news says a National Guard helicopter is up

and is using heat-sensing abilities to try to find him tonight. Plus, they have found his tracks in the snow, so they hope they're looking in the right general area.

[pinto]

12. Wow. Hope the husband is well and is found, too. That's such

tough territory on 4 wheels, let alone on foot.

[Erika]

13. A warning to those who travel in the high mountain west states

Don't try to take short cuts in the winter months. Many of the roads shown on maps are impassable in the winter and much of the summer. Travel in the mountains only during daylight, even on the main mountain roads. Always have someone expecting your arrival to call for help if you don't show up in a reasonable time.

This situation happens quite frequently in the rocky mountain states.

[seriousstan]

14. Mom, 2 kids survive -- frantic hunt for dad (Kim family ...Cnet)

They ran the heater in their station wagon until the car was out of gas. They burned all the tires in hopes that someone would spot the smoke. And when the food ran out, Kati Kim breastfed her two young daughters.

Hope was running low as well for the Kim family nine days after they became stranded in the snowy mountains of southwestern Oregon while making their way toward home in San Francisco. Then, at 1:45 p.m. Monday, Kim spotted a helicopter her family had hired to help look for her. She waved an umbrella on which she had taped reflective striping, and soon she and the girls were saved.

Now the hope is that her husband, James Kim, is still alive. Kim, 35, left the family to look for help Saturday morning dressed in a jacket, sweater and blue jeans and carrying snowshoes, and he never came back. Searchers spotted his tracks in the snow and were looking for him Monday night.

Kati Kim, 30, and her daughters, 4-year-old Penelope and 7-month-old Sabine, were found with the family car just off Bear Camp Road, a treacherous, little-used mountain route that runs across the Coast Range from Grants Pass along Interstate 5 to the coastal town of Gold Beach. The car had become stuck in snow.

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/12/04/BAGR2MP9383.DTL

[bigworld]

15. Sounds like they did everything right

... fingers crossed for the husband.

[slackmaster]

25. Everything, except being were they were in the first place

And if they had been carrying real emergency supplies they would have been a lot better off.

[ninkasi]

16. I pray that he will be found safe

That poor family, they have endured such an ordeal. The parents sound like two loving and caring people, and it would be so tragic if the father doesn't make it, to be reunited with his family.

[grasswire]

17. why, why, why did they take that road? (eom)

[TwentyFive]

19. I've been down similar roads.

Things wear your judgment down after thousands of miles. It doesn't look so bad. The map recommends it. You can always turn around. Then, in an instant, your wheels get stuck - and all of a sudden, you're in deep shit.

I'm really using visualization to picture the husband is someplace tonight...alive...and near being rescued.

[Erika]

18. Never travel on mountain side roads, much less at night

This tragedy replays itself constantly in the rocky mountain states. Always have someone expecting you so they can call for help if you don't arrive on time.

Never take short cuts in the winter. Stay on the main roads and travel only during daylight hours.

[greccogirl]

20. May god be merciful that he will be

found alive.

[renate]

21. so glad the mom and kids are alive...

...praying that he is too.

[Binka]

22. Thank God Mom Was Still Nursing

Please let James be found alive. Please!

[Sequoia]

23. At least she wasn't on an airplane.

That should show these anti-breast feeders it's a matter of life and death.

[Binka]

24. I Was Gonna Point That Out But Figured The Brightest DU Would Catch It

If Sabine had been bottle fed I doubt very much that Kati would have been able to produce any milk for either of them. And the horrors that she breast fed her 4.5 year old to keep her alive!