The charity botched key elements of its mission after Superstorm Sandy and Hurricane Isaac in 2012, "leaving behind a trail of unmet needs and acrimony," while diverting assets to public relations, according to an investigation by ProPublica and NPR.
During Hurricane Isaac, Red Cross supervisors ordered dozens of trucks usually deployed to deliver aid to be driven around nearly empty instead, “just to be seen,” says Jim Dunham, one of the drivers.
“We were sent way down on the Gulf with nothing to give,” he says. The Red Cross’ relief effort was “worse than the storm.”
The Red Cross responds in a statement to ProPublica and NPR: “While it’s impossible to meet every need in the first chaotic hours and days of a disaster, we are proud that we were able to provide millions of people with hot meals, shelter, relief supplies and financial support during the 2012 hurricanes.”