Rescuers find girls, mother in snow

GRANTS PASS, Ore. -- Three members of a San Francisco family missing for more than a week were found alive yesterday along a snowy, treacherous roadway in southern Oregon, police said. A search continued for the father.

Investigators said a helicopter spotted 30-year-old Kati Kim waving an umbrella about 1:45 p.m. PST. Her daughters Penelope, 4, and Sabine, 7 months, were with her. They were airlifted to Three Rivers Community Hospital in Grants Pass.

The three "are in good condition" said Linda Rankin, vice president for patient care at the hospital . "Mom arrived in an ambulance smiling and waving."

Rescuers kept looking for Kati Kim's husband, James Kim, 35. He left on foot two days ago to seek help, police said. Helicopters with thermal imaging technology joined the search last night.

Oregon State Police Lieutenant Doug Ladd said that there is "a very reasonable chance" he is still alive and that Kim's family said he had some outdoor experience. Russell said the family reported that he had eaten berries in the area, but they weren't sure if they were poisonous.

Josephine County Undersheriff Brian Anderson said the family got stuck in the snow. The family had been driving along rural roads that are often used as shortcuts to Gold Beach on the south Oregon coast. The roads are typically used by whitewater rafters in the summer, but are often treacherous and impassible during the winter.

Nursing supervisor Cynthia Russell said the mother nursed both the children while they were lost because there was no food or water in their car. The baby will be admitted, and the other two planned to stay overnight in the same room, Russell said.

The family saw friends in Portland on Nov. 25 and then headed toward home after a Thanksgiving trip to the Pacific Northwest. They were last spotted at a restaurant that same day.