The American Red Cross announced last week that it would hand pink-slips to one thousand employees. This week, the organization is responding to widespread, devastating tornado damage in TN and AR. After past disasters, ARC volunteers were instructed to call Disaster Travel, a travel agency, to book their flights to disaster zones.
Given ARC budget constraints, has the nation’s leading disaster response organization established bulk flight arrangements with airlines to lower the cost of these last minute flights? Over the coming days, we’ll see press releases issued by a dozen or more various American Red Cross chapters across the country announcing that they are sending volunteers (usually two to three) to tornado disaster zones. Of course, the public will be asked to donate to the American Red Cross relief effort.
* And the public should give to a financially solvent organization that spends the publicly donated dollar with great discretion.
From Nashville Public Radio (WPLN):
The American Red Cross has declared the storm damage zone in Sumner and Macon Counties a ‘level four disaster.’ That means volunteers from other parts of the country will soon come in to help the local chapters respond.
The public should ask about the cost of the plane tickets. Are airlines giving the American Red Cross a break? Or will tickets cost $500 or $700 or $900 round-trip per volunteer? Furthermore, is the Red Cross dispatching volunteers from regional states? (i.e. Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, North Carolina, Mississippi, Louisiana) Or are volunteers coming from everywhere and more expensive markets (i.e. up-state NY, Washington State, Oregon, Maine, the Bay Area, Minneapolis, etc.).
1 user commented in " Cash-Strapped Red Cross Flying Volunteers to TN: Will Flight Costs Be Negotiated Or Top Dollar? "
Follow-up comment rss or Leave a TrackbackDear Ben,
I fear that your single experience with the Red Cross following Katrina has tainted your view. I am a former employee (chapter disaster director) but remain a loyal volunteer for the organization on a national level.
Katrina was, as you know, nothing like any other relief operation in the country’s history. Mistakes were made and people suffered but thousands and thousands received rapid assistance.
On other relief operations prior and since, the Red Cross utilizes its trained and highly experienced cadre of DSHR (Disaster Services Human Resouces) System volunteers to travel quickly to relief operations and provide assistance. It makes sense for the organization to fly individuals who have years of experience on relief operations to help manage those operations. On the vast majority of relief operations only seasoned veterans with managerial skills are the volunteers being flown in.
I appreciate your efforts to bring more attention to the problems of the Red Cross but I do hope that you will recognize that not every Level 4 or even Level 5 relief operation is like Katrina. I would recommend that you serve on another “normal” relief operation through the DSHR to see how things are done and done well.
Best,
Matt Rosenberg
Red Cross Volunteer
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