The relief agency used trucks as news conference backdrops and wasted food, according to a ProPublica/NPR investigation . “They weren’t interested in doing mass care; they were interested in the illusion of mass care,” said one worker.
A Staten Island resident walks from a Red Cross emergency response vehicle after accepting a meal after superstorm Sandy on Nov. 7, 2012.
Handout / Reuters
The American Red Cross botched the response to superstorm Sandy – which struck New York City one year ago today – and other disasters, putting public appearances and politics above relief efforts, according to an investigation published Wednesday.
During Sandy, about 40% of trucks were used as backdrops for news conferences. During Hurricane Isaac, about 80 trucks were driven around the disaster area, empty, just for appearance purposes, according to the joint ProPublica/NPR investigation.
"It was just clear to me that they weren't interested in doing mass care; they were interested in the illusion of mass care," Richard Rieckenberg, who helped lead the Red Cross' response to Sandy and Hurricane Isaac, told the outlets.
In one instance, relief organizers ordered cooks to prepare 200,000 meals in order to drive up numbers – but much of the food wasn't distributed and instead went to waste, according to the report, which relied on internal Red Cross records and interviews with staffers and associates.
The Red Cross defenses its performance.
"I'm very proud of the services we provided," Trevor Riggen, a vice president, told the outlets. "I think the volume of services and the speed at which we provided it speaks to the quality of service of the volunteers and staff on the ground."
This is a breaking news story. Please check back for updates.
from BuzzFeed - Breaking http://www.buzzfeed.com/tomnamako/red-cross-criticized-over-storm-response-failures?utm_term=4ldqpia
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