Charities Not Prepared to Respond to Catastrophic Event, Report Finds
Charities Not Prepared to Respond to Catastrophic Event, Report Finds
According to a new report from the Government Accountability Office, the major U.S. charities that respond to disasters would be unable to address fully the need for food, shelter, and other services after a catastrophic event such as Hurricane Katrina or a major earthquake, the New York Times reports.
Commissioned by the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, the report, Voluntary Organizations: FEMA Should More Fully Assess Organizations' Mass Care Capabilities and Update the Red Cross Role in Catastrophic Events (89 pages, PDF), found that the Red Cross, the only relief organization legally mandated to help the government provide care in an emergency, and three other large charities — the Salvation Army, the Southern Baptist Convention, and Catholic Charities — lack the financial and other resources needed to address another Katrina-like event. The Red Cross currently is seeking $150 million in federal emergency funding to cover the costs of assisting the victims of hurricanes Gustav and Ike — the largest amount the organization has ever sought from the government.
The report found that all four charities have taken steps to address problems arising after Katrina. For its part, the Red Cross has reorganized its chapters, developed partnerships with local groups, and worked together with the Salvation Army and the Southern Baptist Convention to develop a supply management system, while local Salvation Army units have upgraded their communications systems. Despite those efforts, the GAO determined that, in a major catastrophe, the groups would face shortages in shelter capacity and personnel, feeding capabilities, and financial resources. The Red Cross itself estimates that it would only be able to assist a third of the estimated 150,000 people who would need shelter after a terrorist nuclear attack on Washington, D.C.
Referring to the report's findings, Salvation Army spokesman Maj. George Hood said, "The GAO is pointing out the need for continual improvements. Some of them, without question, will take time, effort, and funding."
Strom, Stephanie.
“Report Says Charities Would Be Lacking in a Big Disaster.”
New York Times
9/18/08.
Primary Subject: Philanthropy and Voluntarism
Secondary Subject(s): Hurricane Relief
Location(s): National
FC012443
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