HOUSTON – We take a look at the Red Cross and the problems the organization has had getting aid to victims of Hurricane Harvey.
This is an issue that we have been following for some days now. We have listened to your concerns and taken your questions to Red Cross officials.
"I lived in Woodforest Chase," flood victim Roslyn Dykes said.
The George R. Brown Convention Center has been her home since Hurricane Harvey. She and thousands of other flood victims sought shelter there.
"It's been all right. A place to stay and warm blankets and food. But there's a time when it all gets a little hectic," she said.
The Red Cross said donated money helped open the shelter. The organization said 91 cents of every dollar goes to the mission of helping ease human suffering in a disaster. Watchdog group CharityWatch does not agree.
"They're spending about $30 to raise $100," CharityWatch president and founder Daniel Borochoff said. "Until we have something better in this country to replace them, we gotta work with them. Otherwise the situation is gonna be a low worst. Certainly they could do a lot better."
"On Monday, we were able to distribute $45 million to 100,000 households," Red Cross spokesperson Mary Jane Mudd said. "It's all about food, comfort and shelter. That's our first priority. Get people off of the streets. Get them away from their homes they had to evacuate."
She said 3,000 volunteers from all over the country have worked to reduce the suffering in the first days after the storm.
"This sort of thing doesn't happen easily. It happens with whole year long disaster responses. Our volunteers getting organized to be able to help at a moment's notice. Also serving more than 1.5 million meals and snacks. Those things are so important. That's where donor dollars are going. That's where people who help us are helping us to help others," Mudd said.
