State Seeks to Supplant Red Cross (Alabama)

http://www.nytimes.com/ ^ | April 18, 2006 | Eric Lipton

[teldon30]

WASHINGTON, April 17 — Frustrated with the performance of the American Red Cross, Alabama's governor has asked Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff for the federal aid necessary to let the state assume primary responsibility for operating its own emergency shelters in disasters.

The move comes after months of criticism of the Red Cross, inspired by what even the organization's own leaders acknowledge was its inadequate response to Hurricane Katrina last year.

[teldon30]

Their response to hurricane Frederick back in 1979 was also pathetic...Salvation Army was excellent back then.

[Tarheel]

The Governor wants to use community colleges as emergency shelters--sounds like a good idea.

[OldPossum]

That seems to be a reasonable response to what the ARC provides. I just don't like that organization.

[Verginius Rufus]

They could name their version the Crimson Cross.

[Dr. Thorne]

Bush's fault.

[au eagle]

George W. tried to put a jr. college in every county. Or a Troy State extension. We might get our money's worth now if the campuses are used for relief shelters. Or we might not, considering how education dollars are spent.

[au eagle]

You ain't from around heah, are ya?

[charrisGOP]

"They could name their version the Crimson Cross."

* OUTSTANDING * EXCELLENT * GREAT *

[MamaB]

Baloney!

[blam]

"You ain't from around heah, are ya?"

LOL.

[charrisGOP]

***snicker***

[Frwy]

I haven't liked the red cross since one day in the 60's when I heard of a family that had been burned out during the night. It was fall and quite chilly to be homeless. I gathered up good used clothes, coats and blankets as I could put together quickly and headed down there. When I arrived the red cross was on scene and wouldn't "let" me give the people the things I had for them, BECAUSE THEY WEREN'T NEW. Frankly, this family didn't look to me like they had had anything new is quite a long time and they were all smiles when I showed up. They were as dumb founded as I was that my offerings were not good enough as I was turned away.

A broken fan belt curtailed my pursuit of the matter and I had to deal with that, of course. I haven't forgotten that all these years. The arc is not what they want the public to believed they are.

Since that day I have not contributed one red cent to that organization. What a farce they are.

[AzaleaCity5691]

Oh come on the Red Cross did a great job during Frederic........

You know, Frederic ran so smoothly, the power came back so quickly, people weren't gouging people on ice, they didn't almost have riots in Prichard over issues of supplies, and people in general were well behaved and cordial during the cleanup............ And if you believe that, I'd like to sell you some ocean front property in Arizona. I will say this, I fault the state of Alabama in almost every area I can, but they have done a tremendous job in the wake of Katrina, and they didn't do a bad job in Ivan. I'd say the last really bad response to a hurricane was back in 98 during Georges, but that paled in comparison to how everything was screwed up in Frederic, lines for everything, and when you got in the line, you were paying an arm and a leg for whatever you were buying. I will say this though, many of my close friends, it was those 2 weeks in 79 where we became as close as we did, that storm was a bonding experience, albeit one that was a pain in the ass.