Compare facts, rumors if doubting Red Cross
Unfortunately, we live in a world where sensational rumors and misinformation grab all the attention, and the truth often gets lost. But context and facts are important, especially when evaluating the performance of a volunteer organization responding to disasters.
Did the American Red Cross get everything right in responding to Hurricane Harvey? Of course not. Disasters, by their nature, will always have problems, especially a disaster that was called “unprecedented” and “catastrophic” by experts. But we did a lot more right than wrong, and on behalf of the board of directors for the Houston Chapter of the American Red Cross, I wanted to write to set the record straight.
In the days prior to Hurricane Harvey making landfall, the Red Cross was on the ground, setting up shelters to support thousands of people, moving tractor trailer-loads of supplies, and mobilizing hundreds of volunteers.
We had the resources, but we also had challenges getting those resources everywhere immediately. The Red Cross was affected by the flooding just like every public safety agency and disaster response organization. Our operations were hindered by a lack of high-water vehicles — and those that were available were rationed to agencies in segments of hours of service. But we tried everything we could, even loading Red Cross volunteers into the back of a city of Houston dump truck as the only form of transportation to make their way to support a Red Cross shelter.
Along with our partners, the Red Cross provided more than 435,000 overnight shelter stays over the past two months and served more than 4.5 million meals and snacks in Texas and Louisiana. Red Cross volunteers have provided more than 127,200 mental health and health services, and distributed more than 1.6 million relief items like diapers, bug spray and cleaning supplies.
We also created a new web-based program to deliver critical financial assistance to people who had been severely impacted by the disasters. The demand was so great that it overwhelmed our IT systems and we had to temporarily suspend the program. We apologize for that and for the frustrations people had in getting payments. We wish we could have helped everyone through the program — but at the end of the day, and we still continue to process applications, we’ve authorized $400 to more than 573,000 households severely affected by Hurricane Harvey. That’s more than $229 million in direct financial assistance.
In addition, we’ve spent an estimated $45 million on sheltering, meals, relief supplies, health and mental heath services. To date, we estimate we have spent more than half of the $429 million raised. In short, we have spent more money on more people in a shorter time period than any disaster response since Hurricane Katrina. And 91 cents of every dollar we receive for Hurricane Harvey is being spent to help people affected by Hurricane Harvey.
And we did this without any federal funds and with a workforce that is 90 percent volunteers. Thanks to our generous donors, all the assistance we provided was free to the people in need. There is no other organization that we know of that could do that. As one non-profit expert noted, “If there wasn’t a Red Cross, we’d have to invent one.”
Hurricane Harvey destroyed lives and communities that were built over decades. As one organization, we simply cannot replace all that has been lost. But we are committed to being a part of the long-term recovery effort here. Because of the incredible generosity of our donors, remaining funds will be committed to support efforts across the impacted areas, on top of the millions already distributed directly to those in need. The next phase of Red Cross assistance will focus on additional recovery support for people whose homes were destroyed or suffered major damage and need extra help. The Red Cross will also ensure funds are available to support community-based long-term recovery efforts.
The Red Cross has been a presence in Houston for more than 100 years, and we will be in Houston for years to come, helping our neighbors after home fires, floods and major disasters. For those of you who doubt us, we have one thing to say: Join us, sign up, put on a Red Cross vest and volunteer. We welcome your service.