Red Cross fulfilled mission with Katrina

Published 6:00 am Monday, November 7, 2005

The Mid-South Mississippi Chapter of the American Red Crossstands ready to help the people of this area in an emergency, andthat is exactly what we did for Hurricane Katrina.

In addition to providing over 2,000 evacuees and local residentswith shelter when Hurricane Katrina made landfall, we also providedover 150,000 meals and snacks. Our chapter opened over 35,000 casesfor people requesting financial services which totaled over $30million.

Our sincerest gratitude is extended to the many local churchesand their volunteers that opened their doors and hearts, providingshelter to those in need along with support to the American RedCross. This was done without power, water and many of thenecessities that we are accustomed to.

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Neither these churches, nor our chapter were prepared for thelong term sheltering that was required. Together with the help ofso many others, those that were displaced from their homes had asafe place to sleep, food to eat and a caring hand to provide themthese things.

Will we be able to help everyone who asks for financialassistance? Probably not. So we ask for your understanding if theAmerican Red Cross must say no to your request. Were there peoplewho received financial assistance who weren’t eligible? Probablyso.

At the early stages of a disaster, the Red Cross relies onverifying emergency needs by assessing damage in affectedcommunities to help determine what needs a family might have. Inthe case of hurricanes Katrina and Rita, the damage was sowidespread we were not able to get into the areas as quickly as wewould have liked.

In order to provide both financial and non-financial assistanceimmediately, we relied on a zip code list provided by National RedCross which was also used by FEMA and other agencies to determinewhat areas had storm-related damage. As the process moved forward,the list was refined to determine which areas had major, minor, orlittle to no damage.

We are at a point now where we can allocate all of our resourcesto areas that have the most emergency needs across the affectedareas in Mississippi and other states.

Unfortunately, there are those that will take advantage of thestewardship of the American Red Cross. The bigger the disaster, themore fraudulent claims are likely to be processed. Rest assuredthat all cases are being reviewed and fraudulent claims will beprosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

Some of the hard feelings about whether people qualify forfinancial assistance come from misunderstandings about the natureof the American Red Cross role. The American Red Cross provides forthe immediate emergency needs of disaster survivors, particularlyshelter, meals and short-term help with housing, clothing and basicessentials such as life-sustaining prescriptions.

Financial assistance from the American Red Cross is based onimmediate emergency disaster-caused needs, not losses. Thisfinancial assistance is intended to be a bridge between the time ofthe disaster and the time that a family begins its long-termrecovery.

It is now over nine weeks after Hurricane Katrina made landfall.Currently the American Red Cross is providing financial assistanceto people living in the affected areas who had major structuraldamage to their homes and who are in immediate emergency need ofshelter, food or clothing.

The financial assistance from the American Red Cross does nottake the place of personal insurance, nor does it serve the samerole as federal assistance for loans, grants and housing. In everydisaster response the Red Cross role diminishes as state andfederal resources become available.

We have received numerous inquiries from clients who submittedan application to the local chapter and have not received financialassistance. This is a result of National Red Cross and theirtransition of financial services being transferred to theirdisaster relief operation located in Montgomery, Ala.

Our chapter received notification of this transition 24 hoursprior to their arrival at our office. Our chapter processedapplications and provided financial assistance to as manyapplicants as we could physically, possibly do within the next 24hours straight.

All Red Cross chapters were required to submit remainingapplications to National Red Cross’s Safety and Security team upontheir arrival. They assured us that each case would be contacted bya Red Cross representative in order to verify their eligibility forfinancial assistance.

There have been numerous inquires in regards to submitting anapplication and the status of applications previously submitted. Atpresent, National Red Cross is sending a letter to all applicantsthat have not received financial assistance and asking them to callthe Case Resource Center at 1-800-975-7585.

Anyone with questions regarding Client Assistance Cards (debitcards) or emergency needs that have not been met through assistancefrom FEMA, their insurance company, or any other assistance programmay also call the Case Resource Center for further information. Ourchapter is not authorized to submit new applications, check thestatus of applications submitted or Client Assistance Cards.

Disaster assistance available from the American Red Cross ismade possible by voluntary donations of time and money from theAmerican people. The American Red Cross must spend thosecontributions wisely by giving them to people who are most inneed.

To date, the American Red Cross nationally has spent more than$1.5 billion on services as a result of Hurricanes Katrina andRita. In Mississippi, Red Cross has assisted more than 272,862families.

Thank you to the many churches, businesses, local residents,volunteers, board members, volunteer fire departments, nationalguard, law enforcement and emergency management personnel (and anyI have missed) who donated goods, time and money to our chapter tohelp aid in the response to Katrina. It never fails to amaze me athow our communities come together and stand strong during our mostvulnerable times.

We refuse to allow negative press or comments to weaken thestrong spirit that lies within the volunteers, staff, boardmembers, donors and clients of the Mid-South Mississippi chapter.If there is one good thing that Katrina left behind, it is thefaces of the new volunteers that have now joined the chapter fromright here in our communities. With a stronger volunteer base, wewill be even more prepared when the next disaster strikes.

I hope that we will never face a disaster response as large asHurricane Katrina again in our lifetimes. Unfortunately, it isinevitable that there will be more disasters in the future thatrequire the response and financial assistance of the Red Cross.

Please keep this in mind and remember to financially support theMid-South Mississippi chapter and our United Way partners so thatwe can assure service delivery and maintain a local chapter toserve our community in the next time of need. Thank you for yourunderstanding and support.

Layla Edwards is executive director of the American RedCross Mid-South Mississppi Chapter.