Red Cross floundered in Harvey response
Texas leaders, residents say help was lacking
For the American Red Cross, Hurricane Harvey presented a perfect chance at redemption.
A fast and efficient response would have shown critics the organization has learned from its past mistakes and is a capable partner when disaster strikes. But instead, many Texas officials and residents say, the Red Cross floundered and failed to provide help.
Weeks after the storm, state and local officials, including Gov. Greg Abbott, complain of a charity disorganized and slow to respond. The Red Cross’ leader in the region hardest hit has resigned, complaining of a constant struggle to juggle the wants of the national office vs. the needs of hurricane survivors. And
many of those survivors have a long list of complaints.
The rancor has left the group synonymous with volunteerism and selflessness again on its heels, forced to reconcile negative reports on the ground with its reputation as the goto in America’s worst moments.
Aubrey Dominguez returned to find his Rockport home gone, but he was denied Red Cross assistance. “They are good at driving around giving out hot meals,” he said. “Other than that, that’s about it.”
One Texas lawmaker who represents a section of rain- pummeled Houston, where thousands of people lost their homes and belongings to floodwaters, said he has had enough.
“I just won’t give the Red Cross any more money,” said state Rep. Garnet Coleman, a Democrat who has served 26 years in the Texas House. “I’ll find other ways to help people in need.”
In recent years, the Red Cross’ reputation has taken repeated hits, spearheaded by reporting from NPR and ProPublica that highlighted lapses in howthe organization spends its money and directs its resources. Then, a congressional inquiry found the organization was using about a quarter of the money directed to the 2010 Haiti earthquake for other expenses.
The new round of criticism comes as the organization juggles a number of disasters, fromthe hurricane trio of Harvey, Irma and Maria to California wildfires and the mass shooting in Las Vegas.
The Red Cross described its Harvey response as “massive,” one that fulfilled its mission considering the historic nature of the storm, which dropped more than 50 inches of rain.
“In a disaster, you don’t get everything perfect every time,” spokeswoman Elizabeth Penniman said, “but the incredible number of people we sheltered and meals we served and comfort and care we provided prove we fulfilled our mission, and some of the criticism does not take into account the size and scale of our response.”
Bob Ottenhoff, CEO and president of the Center for Disaster Philanthropy, said the Harvey response proved to be a huge challenge for relief organizations, but he called it overall “pretty good.” Still, it’s not over.
“The challenge confronting us now and the thing that often proves to be very frustrating to homeowners and business owners is the fact that the recovery period is so complicated and so long,” he said. “There’s a tremendous amount of work before us.”
Category 4 Harvey punished the small coastal town of Port Aransas, where 130- mph winds pushed boats into parking lots, destroyed buildings and sawed through trailer parks.
Though some local officials were pleased with the Red Cross response, others argue more could have been done. Consider Port Aransas Mayor Charles Bujan part of the latter group.
“I don’t want them ever to come back here,” he said. “They’re supposed to help the people. They didn’t do that.”
Much of his criticism centers on the Red Cross’ disbursement of money and the couple of weeks he said it took “before they even set up shop.”
As a first step in recovery plans, the Red Cross offered $ 400 payments meant to address immediate needs, like clothing and food, for survivors. Some aid applications were thought to be mistakenly rejected because of technology problems. Penniman said the initial demand “challenged our IT infrastructure,” leading to a temporary suspension in service.
Abbott said he had “several conversations” with Red Cross President Gail McGovern about reports that the charity was fumbling the ball.