Written by Carey Wedler<\/p>\n
(<\/b>ANTIMEDIA<\/b><\/a>)<\/b>\u00a0\u2014 Though the Red Cross has a historical reputation for providing relief to victims of natural disasters and other emergencies, the organization\u2019s practices have tarnished its name over the last few years.<\/p>\n We’re revolutionizing the news industry, but we need your help!\u00a0Click here to get started.<\/a><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n Amid the catastrophic earthquake in Haiti in 2010, the Red Cross\u00a0reportedly<\/a>\u00a0accepted nearly $500 million in relief money but built only six homes with the funds even though they claimed they had provided homes to 130,000 people. These failures prompted some Haitians to\u00a0advise<\/a>\u00a0the world against donating funds to the Red Cross.<\/p>\n The organization was accused of diverting resources and supplies to bolster its public image during Hurricane Sandy. As an\u00a0investigation<\/a>\u00a0by NPR and ProPublica found:<\/p>\n \u201cThe Red Cross national headquarters in Washington \u2018diverted assets for public relations purposes.\u2019 A former Red Cross official managing the Sandy effort says 40 percent of available trucks were assigned to serve as backdrops for news conferences<\/i>.\u201d<\/p>\n The outlets\u00a0reported<\/a>\u00a0that \u201c[d]istribution of relief was \u2018politically driven instead of [Red Cross] planned<\/i>,\u2019\u201d noting many organizational failures.<\/p>\n Further, a report released last year by Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley\u00a0found<\/a>\u00a0that 25% of funds donated to aid in relief for victims of the earthquake was actually spent on internal costs. That amounted to roughly $124 million.<\/p>\n Now, amid the hurricane in Texas, the Red Cross is admitting it currently doesn\u2019t know how the funds it\u2019s receiving are being spent. NPR\u2019s Morning Edition\u00a0interviewed<\/a>\u00a0Red Cross executive Brad Kieserman to ask how the funds will be distributed. \u00a0Kieserman said that as of Wednesday morning, \u201chad spent $50 million on Harvey relief, mainly on 232 shelters for 66,000 people<\/i>.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThrough donations, how much of every dollar goes to relief?<\/i>\u201d\u00a0NPR\u2019s Ailsa Chang asked him.<\/p>\n But he responded without actually providing an answer to her question:<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, I don\u2019t think I know the answer to that any better than the chief fundraiser knows how many, how much it costs to put a volunteer downrange for a week and how many emergency response vehicles I have on the road today. So I think if he was on this interview and you were asking how many relief vehicles in Texas, I don\u2019t think he\u2019d know the answer and I don\u2019t know the answer to the financial question I\u2019m afraid<\/i>.\u201d<\/p>\n She pressed him about the Red Cross\u2019 previous failures and misallocation of resources. According to\u00a0NPR<\/i>\u2019s transcript:<\/p>\n \u201cIs that still happening? Such a substantial percentage of donations going to internal administrative costs, rather than to relief?<\/i><\/p>\n \u201cKieserman: It\u2019s not something I would have any visibility on. I can talk about what it costs to deliver certain relief services.<\/i><\/p>\n \u201cChang: Yeah.<\/i><\/p>\n \u201cKieserman: But the way the internal revenue stream works, uhh \u2026<\/i><\/p>\n \u201cChang: You don\u2019t know what portion of that amount.<\/i><\/p>\n \u201cKieserman: Not really.<\/i><\/p>\n \u201cChang: You don\u2019t know what portion of that total amount is for relief.<\/i><\/p>\n \u201cKieserman: No, I really don\u2019t. I wish I could answer your question, but it\u2019s not something I have visibility on in the role that I play in this organization.<\/i><\/p>\n The executive ultimately claimed that \u201cThe folks I work for are very, very attentive to cost effectiveness and cost efficiencies in making sure that as much as every dollar that we spend on an operation is client-facing<\/i>.\u201d<\/p>\n Slate<\/i>\u00a0reporter Jonathan Katz also\u00a0reported<\/a>\u00a0the organization declined to disclose how much money they had spent or raised so far. Katz ultimately urged readers not to contribute to the Red Cross.<\/p>\n The Red Cross continues to face criticism and urgings for individuals who want to help to take their donations elsewhere. The\u00a0Independent<\/i>\u00a0reports<\/a>\u00a0that over the weekend,\u00a0Dan Gillmor, author and professor at Arizona State University\u2019s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism, advised against donating to the Red Cross. Many other social media users have expressed similar sentiments.<\/p>\n Despite the Red Cross\u2019 failings, however, there are still many organizations doing important work.<\/p>\n The\u00a0group<\/a>\u00a0A Just Harvey Recovery<\/strong>\u00a0lists a number of local efforts accepting contributions.\u00a0The Cajun Navy<\/strong>, a volunteer effort that previously rescued victims of Hurricane Katrina and the Louisiana floods last year, has also been working round the clock in Texas and is\u00a0accepting donations<\/a>.\u00a0There are many\u00a0organizations\u00a0<\/a>and shelters working locally to\u00a0provide<\/a>relief and essential services. If you would like to contribute or volunteer, you can find some of them\u00a0here<\/a>,\u00a0here<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0here<\/a>.<\/p>\n