Posted on 11/02/2017 1:27:06 PM PDT by Elderberry
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said Wednesday he raised concerns with the American Red Cross following Hurricane Harvey that hundreds of millions of dollars in donations wasn't getting to people who need it.
His comments heaped another powerful voice onto questions surrounding the organization's response to the Category 4 storm that struck Texas in August and left behind what may become the costliest natural disaster cleanup in U.S. history.
Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner and Harris County Judge Ed Emmett have previously discouraged donors from giving to the Red Cross after blaming the organization for problems at emergency shelters. Speaking to reporters from Washington, Abbott said he heard "multiple concerns" at the local level that people weren't seeing aid from the Red Cross as expected.
(Excerpt) Read more at wacotrib.com ...
“charge for donuts offered to GI’s during WWII’
The organization started charging only because the U.S. Secretary of War asked it to. British soldiers had to pay for their snacks, and the free doughnuts for Americans were causing tensions. So the Red Cross complied, after protesting to no avail. It didn’t last long — for most of the last 70 years, Red Cross doughnuts have remained free — but veterans haven’t forgotten.
They hosed me in 1979 when I was a young Airman stationed overseas and was trying to get home on emergency leave. The Red Cross kept trying to block me from getting to go home. Finally my First Sgt and Squadron Commander threatened them and wrote the orders anyway.
I had two uncles in the Battle of the Bulge and they would tell (both are gone now) how the Red Cross would charge the soldiers for coffee and doughnuts when they came off the line.
Our property in Harbison Canyon burned. Churches and the Salvation Army were there with us. We had many private citizens just drive up with donations, food or offers to help. You had to go find the red cross and make an appointment.
In Houston, the Red Cross money went to four star hotels and room service, while Samaritans Purse and the Salvation Army were living and operating out of tents and trailers.
BTW, both liberals and conservatives in Houston were not impressed by the Red Cross, but spoke highly of the Salvation Army, Samaritans Purse, and the large number of volunteers such as the Cajun Navy who stepped up to the plate.
Then people found out that the Red Cross was throwing their hard good donations into the trash.
Good. The armed Cross is a fraudulent money gathering scheme
Give to Samaritans Purse or JJ Watt or Salvation Army
Red Cross starts providing relief BEFORE one penny is raised. Things like: pre-positioning trucks, fuel supplies, food, hot meals. There are thousands of local disasters, those that affect folks right in your town that benefit from Red Cross services, for which ZERO is raised.
“Disaster Relief” is a big bucket.
And YES, they can and do accept targeted donations, for existing funds. “US Disaster Relief” or something else. You can’t give money to Red Cross for “John Smith & Family” unless that is for a unique and targeted relief effort. The Smith Family house burns down and local efforts are underway. The Smith Family Fire fund is created and money flows to that for relief efforts.
Targeted donations for major disasters are in bigger fund buckets. So “Hurricane X” or “Flood Y”.
Red Cross has problems, and some public relations issues no doubt.
Top heavy at HQ. Re-alignment of blood services after 911. The whole paying for donuts thing. Red Cross/Red Crescent/Magen David Adom etc . . .
“But the Red Cross is a Christian symbol” (no it isn’t, it’s a Swiss flag cross with even arms, not a crucifix) Israel has a Red “star of david” and Islam has the Red Crescent is response to this issue.
What they DON”T do is raise money for individuals. They provide immediate help so folks can get up and running again. Pay for hotel/motel rooms until more appropriate housing can be found. Clothes to go to work and school, furnishings like beds and dressers. Rental assistance like deposits and first months rent. Most of the help comes through vouchers to be used at local businesses (Helps to energize a local economy by increasing the velocity of the local money supply).
One of the things that lots of folks in disasters really appreciate is a little spending money. $10 for a pack of cigarettes, or a box of tampons, or a birthday cake. They don’t get that from Red Cross. Local Disaster Volunteers often give a few dollars of their own money.
Red Cross works out arrangements in advance with local providers to accept non-cash vouchers from People, to be paid from Red Cross funds. Good faith and lots of tracking on both sides.
Like many things, it’s not all bad. there are some Red Cross Chapters that are terrible. Then, there are some that help put people’s lives back together.
If your local Red Cross is a mess, join and help fix it.
Kick out the old guard and re-invigorate it. Put it on a better path.
It can be done.
I know, we’ve done it.
Never thought much of them. Heads are waaaaaay overpaid. And after the cr** they pulled on 9-11....they’ll never get a dime from me.
Almost every large hospital has a blood bank. Check for it
Red Cross charges people for blood. Also they trash blood if they can’t find immediate use. They won’t freeze. They won’t give to universities for research
My dad had the same sentiments.
When I heard a WW II vet talk about how Red Cross treated prisoners in Europe I quit dealing with them. That was 1973
Red Cross Chapters are local.
Local Boards control them.
A bunch are corrupt as sin.
Money Laundering Piss Pots.
San Diego was one of those.
$500K salary for Director.
My donations go to the Salvation Army.
“Any vet can tell you that the Red Cross sucks. The Salvation Army (”the Sallyann”) is the best.”
Sooth.
When money gets big
People get hurt.
Samaritan’s Purse, Texas Baptist Men, Salvation Army, et al. are MUCH better organizations than the Red Cross. More money goes where the donors intended it to go!
Salvation Army and USO are the two I contribute to. Samaritan’s Purse is another good one.
Never to the Red Cross. Remember the controversy after 9/11? They collected about $1 BILLION but were caught only distributing about $150 million.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.