So Sad...the Red Cross Saga Continues

by Gary Snyder

Rep. Bennie Thompson said it is “critical” for the Red Cross to act quickly in response to problems reported by ProPublica. 

The key congressman who sits on a committee that oversees the American Red Cross is pressing the group’s chief executive for information about how layoffs and other cuts have affected its ability to respond to disasters. In a six-page letter sent Wednesday, Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss, cites ProPublica’s recent reporting on Red Cross Chief Executive Gail McGovern as well as previous coverage by us and NPR on the charity’s responses to Superstorm Sandy and the 2010 Haiti earthquake. 

“Given the Red Cross’ important role in responding to both domestic and international disasters, it is critical that it acts quickly to address the serious problems ProPublica, NPR, and the GAO uncovered this year,” Thompson wrote, referring to a Government Accountability Office report that found the charity would benefit from more scrutiny from the federal government. Thompson has requested copies of any internal Red Cross after-action reports assessing the group’s responses to the recent Valley Fire in Northern California and disasters in West Virginia, which have been the subject of local criticism. 

For major disasters, the Red Cross typically produces after-action reports but does not release them to the public. 

On the international front, Thompson is requesting more information about what the Red Cross has done in Nepal following the April earthquake. McGovern recently wrote a blog post stating that the charity “played a leading role in supporting relief operations in Nepal.”Thompson has asked for details on how much money the Red Cross raised for Nepal and what it has been spent on. “How did the lessons learned from the Red Cross’ response to Haiti inform its activities in Nepal?” it continues.
(ProPublica)


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