RED CROSS - Hurricane Sandy Responce Two Years Later

"Red Cross defends response to Hurricane Sandy two years on" PBS NewsHour 10/29/2014

Excerpt

GWEN IFILL (NewsHour):  Today marks two years since Superstorm Sandy slammed into the East Coast, leaving enormous damage in its path.

As is the often the case, the Red Cross was at the center of major relief activity, but its efforts and its coordination at the time are now the subject of new scrutiny.

Howling winds and sheets of rain pounded New Jersey and New York when the storm made landfall late on October 29, 2012.  Millions of people lost power, as water poured into streets, flooding subways and tunnels.  When it was over, ocean-front communities lay devastated, with thousands of homes damaged or destroyed, and 182 people dead.  The Red Cross helped lead the relief effort with endorsements coming from the highest levels.

PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA:  The Red Cross knows what they’re doing.  They’re in close contact with federal, state, and local officials.  They will make sure that we get the resources to those families as swiftly as possible.

GWEN IFILL:  But, today, a report released by NPR and ProPublica painted a starkly critical picture of the agency’s actions.

JUSTIN ELLIOTT, ProPublica:  In many cases after Sandy, the Red Cross just didn’t show up to the most devastated areas until weeks after the storm.

GWEN IFILL:  ProPublica reporter Justin Elliott says internal documents and interviews with current and former Red Cross staffers found some decisions were dictated by appearances.

JUSTIN ELLIOTT:  Several Red Cross officials who worked on the Sandy effort complained at the time that emergency response vehicles which are used to deliver relief items like blankets and also food were diverted by headquarters to be backdrops at press conferences, as well as at photo-ops with celebrities.

GWEN IFILL:  The report says logistical problems and communication snafus led to wasteful spending and unmet needs.