Painful Lessons Help Red Cross Fix Disaster Services
OPINION
by Charles Duddles and Dodie Rotherham
Although they’ve been painful, the lessons our local Red Cross chapter has learned in recent months have resulted in several immediate changes that will help us better serve the three million-plus people who live in San Diego and Imperial counties.
The recently completed audit by the national office of the American Red Cross reported on how our chapter handled relief services for victims of the Alpine fire in January 2001. In light of the audit’s recommendations and our own analysis, we have:
– Moved quickly to improve the Red Cross’ follow up after a disaster with all people who live in that area who may have been victims, particularly in rural areas.
– Expanded our family services and case work capabilities by adding staff and placing them in geographic areas to follow up and help identify family needs and distribute resources more quickly and efficiently.
– Committed to much stronger community outreach to let people know what the Red Cross can and cannot do in emergencies. More specifically, helping all victims with their immediate needs , shelter, food, clothing, health services, and counseling , and continuing to work with those who have verified disaster-related needs.
– Appointed retired Marine Lt. Gen. Jack Godfrey to chair our chapter’s Service Delivery Committee for program oversight.
– Commissioned an independent panel of community leaders to scrutinize organizational operations and make recommendations to improve products and services.
– Implemented the recommendations from the national Red Cross audit of our response to the Alpine fire.
There is no excuse for not doing as good a job of providing follow up relief to the fire victims as we have done in countless other disasters our chapter has responded to over the past 103 years. As massive and tragic as the Alpine fire was, it is but one of the disasters and emergencies we respond to roughly every 27 hours in our two-county service area.
Yet we moved swiftly and decisively to make the necessary changes. It is critical that the Red Cross maintains the confidence of our donors and the community at large.
We firmly believe the changes will accomplish that. We know, for example, that shortening the length of time it takes to contact and work with victims to determine their need for financial assistance is crucial, as is communicating more effectively with the communities we serve about the disaster services we provide.
We also need to make sure as many people as possible know the Red Cross has two main jobs when disaster strikes: First, we help all victims with their immediate needs, regardless of their financial means, with shelter, food, clothing, health services and counseling. Then our disaster relief teams begin the process of contacting and working with those who need financial assistance in replacing the basic necessities that were destroyed in the disaster.
Looking back on the Alpine fire, we did a good job with our initial response. We were there within an hour to begin helping the fire victims. It’s the second phase where improvements were indicated. That’s why we’ve since hired additional family services and case workers and placed them in various geographic areas throughout our service area to help us identify family needs and distribute resources more quickly and efficiently.
Improving our field and community-level communications will help us do a better job in notifying people that the Red Cross is on the scene and is contacting victims to determine any financial needs they may have to replace the basic necessities of life.
Better communications also will help us tell the community that the Red Cross is not a “pass-through” organization that gives money to victims regardless of whether they need it or not. We will do a better job of explaining how donations are used. As a nonprofit organization that receives tax-deductible donations, the Red Cross is prohibited by IRS regulations from distributing money to victims without first verifying financial need.
As with any organization that always seeks to better itself, our chapter’s operations need to be looked at and analyzed on a continuing basis. That’s why we’re pleased about an independent, blue-ribbon panel of local community and business leaders examining our chapter operations and making additional recommendations for how we can improve services to the communities we serve.
The Red Cross remains committed to providing San Diego and Imperial counties with disaster services as well as the many other Red Cross community programs that make life better for all of us.
Duddles is chairman of the board of directors of the San Diego/Imperial Counties chapter of the American Red Cross. Rotherham is the chapter’s chief executive officer.
