Justin Elliott has been a reporter with ProPublica since 2012, covering politics with a focus on money and influence. But according to the National Hurricane Center, at least five days before Isaac made landfall it was clear the storm would not hit Tampa. Americans did what they so often do after disasters. We became focused on making the numbers look good and in showing a presence, he emailed Riggen, the Red Cross vice president, on Nov. 18, 2012. Earlier this year, federal toxicologists decided that even the EPA's 2016 advisory levels for the two phased-out versions of the compound were several times too high for safety. NORD is not a medical provider or health care facility and thus can neither diagnose any disease or disorder nor endorse or recommend any specific medical treatments. Sandy and Isaac Lessons Learned PowerPoint, Minutes from post-Sandy meeting of Red Cross execs, Hurricane Isaac emails from Red Cross officials, Hurricane Sandy letter from Red Cross official. More recently, sitting on his patio in a small town in New Mexico, he says his experiences in Isaac and Sandy had permanently altered his view of an organization he had loyally served for years. During the Sandy disaster, some government officials came to resent the Red Cross. (ProPublica has raised questions about the opacity of Red Cross disclosures on how this money was spent.). The new system uses Apple technology to help disrupt nightmares for those with PTSD. Amid increasing public outcry, the company eventually vowed to stop donating to anti-LGBT causes. As he had after Hurricane Isaac, Rieckenberg brought his concerns to top Red Cross officials after Sandy. Richard Sturiale, who saw the basement and first floor of his home in the Rockaways destroyed by flooding, recalls that the only Red Cross truck my neighbors or I saw came two weeks after the storm. In contrast, he says, Mormon and Amish volunteers appeared at my doorstep offering much-needed help just three days after Sandy. New York State Attorney Generals Office. Buy some batteries with it.. In one previously unreported incident that became instantly notorious among Sandy responders, the Red Cross brought a truck full of pork lunches to a Jewish retirement high-rise. Web Clients include small private landlords to major national property companies and managing agents, as well as those in the public sector. Meanwhile, Sandy victims in neighborhoods along the beaches like the Rockaways couldnt get food and drinkable water. After the meeting, Woeher questioned why it took so long to tell the public about the dangers of the compounds. The Red Cross typically deploys about 20 volunteers to such meetings. The National Veterans Services Fund, Inc., (formerly Vietnam Veterans Agent Orange Victims, Inc.) is a non-profit organization whose mission is to educate and inform In the ensuing chaos, the caterer was only able to deliver 70,000 Danishes the following day, Rieckenberg says. From approximately January 2009 through June 2014, TANNER used nearly $800,000 in NVSF funds to pay various personal expenses for her and her family members. But while its fundraising was torrential, its disaster response was a trickle. From United Airlines violently removing a passenger to Pepsi, Starbucks and Chick-fil-As public faux pas. The executives asked Rieckenberg and Scheifele to be patient, promising reforms. Other recent studies point to immune problems in children, among other things. I agree with TheWrap's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy and provide my consent to receive marketing communications from them. Americans are grateful for the sacrifices made by those who serve in the U.S. armed forces, Simons said in a statement announcing the initiative. This is a brand to die for, she said in an early interview as the Red Cross chief executive. "The evidence shows (the group) in reality, spent more than 95 percent paying its founder, fundraisers and expenses," FTC chairman Joe Simons saidThursday in a news conference.More:Charitable giving is at a record high. In this Aug. 1, 2018, photo weeds engulf a playground at housing section of the former Naval Air Warfare Center Warminster in Warminster, Pa. (Matt Rourke/AP). He was asked: Should people give money to the Red Cross? After initial investigations by the attorneygenerals' offices in Michigan and Illinois, a total of 24 states reached a settlement with VietNowto dissolve and distribute its remaining assets to a pair of legitimate charities, Fisher House Foundation and Operation Homefront. Laura Sullivan is a NPR News investigative correspondent whose work has cast a light on some of the countrys most disadvantaged people. Army Special Ops Command welcomes first female command sergeant major. DONNA CARNEY, 67, of Canton, was sentenced today by U.S. We're celebrating 40 years of rare disease advocacy. The charitys shortcomings were detailed in confidential reports and internal emails, as well as accounts from current and former disaster relief specialists. Copyright 2023 NORD National Organization for Rare Disorders, Inc. All rights reserved. The Red Cross was supposed to be supplying the kitchen with propane, but the woman said it hadnt arrived. All rights reserved, Southington Drive-In Announces Summer Movie Schedule, Police Identify Man Found Dead on Side of the Road in Watertown, 7 Bodies Found During Search for Missing Oklahoma Teens, Bride Killed and Groom Injured by Speeding DUI Driver After Wedding in South Carolina, Police Say, NBC & Telemundo Connecticut Job Opportunities. He joined the Red Cross after seeing the images of Katrinas devastation. In one case, the Red Cross had to throw out tens of thousands of meals because it couldnt find the people who needed them. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Douglas P. Morabito. Can you help us with our Red Cross investigation? At the same time emergency vehicles were assigned to public relations duties, the Red Cross was having problems in many other parts of the relief effort, according to the Lessons Learned presentation. WebHere they are. She was also ordered to pay full restitution to the fund, as well as back taxes, interest and penalties. The charity also insists that the volunteers and resources we deployed to Florida did not come at the expense of other states. It did not provide figures for how many mass care volunteers were on the ground in other states before Isaac. That includes toughening up the federal Toxic Substances Control Act and regulatory mandates for the EPA itself in 2016. He was quickly promoted and became part of a select group of Mass Care Chiefs. In Red Cross lingo, mass care is the provision of food, shelter and supplies immediately after a disaster. Two weeks after Sandy hit, Red Cross Chief Executive Gail McGovern declared that the groups relief efforts had been near flawless.. According to the U.S. attorney's office, Tanner altered records to conceal her scheme and falsely claimed the money was being paid to veterans from 2009 to 2014. That was incredibly demoralizing.. In 2012, your services fund will crumble and collapse. by Justin Elliott and Jesse Eisinger, ProPublica, and Laura Sullivan, NPR, (Bonnie Jo Mount/The Washington Post via Getty Images), (Catherine Barde/American Red Cross via Flickr), (Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for AOL), (Jason Colston/American Red Cross via Flickr), caliber of the people is a major issue (this is not a training issue). During Isaac, Red Cross supervisors ordered dozens of trucks usually deployed to deliver aid to be driven around nearly empty instead, just to be seen, one of the drivers, Jim Dunham, recalls. Eigers objection letter quickly turned into a PR disaster as the company received public backlash. The action led to a mass boycott of the ride sharing service and the hashtag #DeleteUber. Find the latest business news on Wall Street, jobs and the economy, the housing market, personal finance and money investments and much more on ABC News The Young Marines is a national non-profit 501(c)(3) youth education and service program for boys and girls, We didnt have the kind of sophistication needed for this size job, noted a Red Cross vice president in the same meeting, the minutes say. Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. The groups self-assessments, drawn together just weeks later, were far less congratulatory. After Sandy, volunteers wandered the streets of New York in search of stricken neighborhoods, lost because they had not been given GPS equipment to guide them. See todays top stories. The ad also included a picture of a woman and the caption "Keep it clean, keep it bright. The charity, which took in about $20 million from 2014 to 2017, must pay its remaining assets, at least $72,122.36 to one or more court-approved legitimate veterans charities. "VietNow was a telemarketing scheme which used professional fundraisers who tolddonors their donations would help local vets," said John Wobensmith, secretary of state for Maryland, one of the states that investigated the group. "VietNow has admitted it did not fund programs assisting veterans.". Rieckenberg says he never heard from him. When President Trump signed the first version of his Muslim travel ban in February and taxis briefly withheld service from airports in protest, Uber announced it would be lowering its own prices. They hadnt failed to deliver disaster relief, after all. WebThe DAV National Service Foundation develops financial resources for the assistance, aid, maintenance, care, support and rehabilitation of ill and injured veterans and their families. From a broad perspective I completely agree with you, Trevor Riggen, the top Red Cross disaster response official, replied that same day. Officials at the Red Cross national headquarters stood firm over Rieckenbergs objections. WebDescription. Cynthia Tanner, 54, of Darien, pleaded guilty to fraud and tax evasion after embezzling around $800,000 from the National Veterans Service Fund and using the Thank you for the low-down on this organization. But it couldnt marshal them promptly enough to help many Isaac victims. WebUnited's latest public relations nightmare was preceded by an incident last month in which two teenagers were barred from boarding their flight because they were wearing leggings. Scheifele says they demanded that he fire people under him. "Indeed, it was a front for the defendant who sold those cars, boats and real estate and then used the money to line his own pockets and fund even more robocalls," Simons said. On December 15, 2015, she pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud and one count of tax evasion. While EPA considers its next step, states are taking action to tackle PFAS contamination on their own. The National Veterans Foundation is a one-stop resource for veterans looking for assistance. Our resource page includes links information and help with crises, navigating VA services, jobs, housing, and more. Our veteran counselors are also standing by 9-5 PT, Monday through Friday to assist you with any help you might need. WebAnd thats just the official number. The Red Cross botched key elements of its mission after Sandy and Isaac, leaving behind a trail of unmet needs and acrimony, according to an investigation by ProPublica and NPR. Red Cross officials deny the group had made decisions based on public relations. I almost sent a donation, thinking I might have a shot at that million-dollar sweepstakes. She executed layoffs and reorganizations that closed local chapters and centralized power at national headquarters in Washington. Circuit Judge Sarah A. L. Merriam in Bridgeport to one month of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release BRYANT BERMUDEZ, 31, of East Hartford, pleaded guilty yesterday before U.S. District Judge Sarala V. Nagala in Hartford to offenses related to his participation in a stolen catalytic converter trafficking FRANCISCO AYALA, 22, of Ansonia, has pleaded in Hartford federal court to offenses related to his participation in a stolen catalytic converter trafficking ring. Not a threat; simply a promise. Similarly, Help the Vets operated on several names, too, officials say, includingAmerican Disabled Veterans Foundation, Military Families of America, Veterans Emergency Blood Bank, Vets Fighting Breast Cancerand Veterans Fighting Breast Cancer. Official websites use .gov Cynthia Tanner, 54, of Darien, pleaded guilty to fraud and tax evasion after embezzling around $800,000 from the National Veterans Service Fund and using the funds to instead pay for various personal expenses for her family and family members. Design direction by David Sleight. McGovern had spent her career as an executive at AT&T and Fidelity and was teaching marketing at Harvard Business School. "I don't know that we've done the science yet to really provide any strong guidance" on risks of the kinds of PFAS that U.S. companies are using now, said Andrew Gillespie, associate director at the EPA's National Exposure Research Laboratory. A Podcast For The Rare Disease Community, Rare Disease Cures Accelerator (RDCA-DAP), Policy Statements & Letters to Policymakers, Stay Informed With NORDs Email Newsletter, Launching Registries & Natural History Studies. Dumped into water, the air or soil, some forms of the compounds are expected to remain intact for thousands of years; one public-health expert dubbed them forever chemicals., In this Aug. 1, 2018, photo, a water tower stands above a residential neighborhood in Horsham, Pa. Companies suffering from a pr crisis can take different steps to mitigate the fall-out, including owning up to its mistakes. The Red Cross recruited McGovern to the top job in 2008. With your support, the VFWs National Veterans Service (NVS) helps veterans with VA claims. The claims process can be confusing and no veteran should ever have to go it alone. VFW has offices across the nation, including locations on military installations to help those who have served. Floor 25 Disaster expert Richard Rieckenberg met with senior officials in October 2012 to voice his concerns. Riggen, the disaster official, pledged to call him the following week. In early December 2012, Red Cross officials asked Bob Scheifele, who was then mass care chief for New York, to put on a demonstration for donors who had funded the Spirit of America, a giant mobile kitchen attached to a semi, which has the capacity to make 30,000 meals a day. They belong to Gail and shes going to do whatever she wants with them, referring to McGovern, the Red Cross chief executive. Another Red Cross disaster response chief, Steve Ade, complained to a vice president, according to Rieckenberg and two other Red Cross officials. New Haven, CT 06510, Telephone: (203) 821-3700 As the Red Cross internal documents note, the challenges of urban disaster response include physically grueling tasks such as walking up stairs in high rises to get to people in need. She started working in the Rockaways a couple of days after the storm hit and stayed for 10 months. And then, on Oct. 29, 2012, Sandy hit New York. NORD is a registered 501(c)(3) charity organization. SIGN UP FOR OUR FREE DAILY NEWSLETTER, FIRST TAKE. The volunteers were told to drive around and look like youre giving disaster relief, Rieckenberg says. President Obama, who is the charitys honorary chairman, vouched for the group after Sandy, telling Americans to donate. According to our Terms of Use we have removed Help the Vets Seal of Transparency.". Phone: 617-249-7300, Danbury, CT office In response to questions about its performance after Sandy overall, the Red Cross frequently points to the total number of services it says it delivered: 17 million meals and snacks, 74,000 overnight stays in shelters, more than 7 million relief items like blankets and flashlights. In 2015, Starbucks had its own PR disaster with its "race together" campaign, which sought to help heal race relations in America through coffee cup stickers, and not much else. 1 Available by prescription only, its also the first and only digital therapeutic developed specifically to treat nightmares that is cleared by the FDA. Weve written about the National Veterans Services Fund before. For more Another organization, Veterans of America and its founder,Travis Deloy Peterson, was charged with illegally making millions ofrobocalls to get people to donate cars, boats and other things of value, falsely claiming that donations would go to veterans charities and were tax deductiblebut were sold for personal benefit. It faced allegations of financial mismanagement after Sept. 11 and Hurricane Katrina and a series of chief executives were forced to resign. Among the several dozen organizations named, Illinois-based VietNow had raised nearly $2 million nationally using professional telemarketers who exaggerated or misrepresented its charitable activities. Patients must rely on the personal and individualized medical advice of their qualified health care professionals before seeking any information related to their particular diagnosis, cure or treatment of a condition or disorder. One Red Cross staffer came to a Rockaways community center and asked them to donate some. Scheifele says he made the arrangements to have it restarted, but there was a snafu, and the Spirit of America didnt get up and running properly. While an aerial photographer was taking pictures of the California coastline Accessibility, Amrapali Rai is a digital marketing consultant who blogs about business and marketing at, How todays growing brand imposter risks pose dangers to consumersand can fatally destroy brand reputations, 5 PR strategies to use for your new business, IPR looks back at 2022, and compiles the top PR insights of the year, 9 strategies supporting the importance of public relations in 2023, Risk management challenges: New research finds sizeable gap between C-suite and senior managers on threat of business inefficiencies. There was nothing political in our decisions regarding Tampa, the charity says. Distribution of relief supplies, the report said, was politically driven.. When the storm hit, officials in Bergen County, New Jersey activated their Emergency Operations Center. The Red Cross knows what theyre doing, he said. This is extremely systemic.. With the accompanying photo of a man looking at a distracted woman, some accused the ad of contributing rape culture by encouraging people to shirk consent. But staff didnt know/follow procedures, the presentation notes. It declined to provide documentation for its account. With your support, the VFWs National Veterans Service (NVS) helps veterans with VA claims. In part, these changes reflected several years of operating in the red. The superstorm was the worst to hit the northeast in a generation. The hundreds of volunteers in Tampa werent only there for the hurricane: The Republican National Convention was going on there and the Red Cross wanted a large presence, Rieckenberg says. When Rieckenberg arrived in Mississippi to help coordinate victim care, he witnessed the incident that so troubled Dunham, the emergency vehicle driver. Writing more than 135 unauthorized checks in 2013 alone, Cynthia Tanner, the now-former bookkeeper at National Veterans Services Fund (NVSF), a long time "F" graded charity by CharityWatch, is under police investigation for allegedly embezzling over $185,000 from the veterans charity in 2013. The Red Cross has more than 26,000 employees. "Your $10 gift will mean so much to a disabled veteran., However, Help the Vets, which touteda "Gold" rating from GuideStar, primarily helped itself, using 95 percent of every donation, gathered through mailings and telemarketing calls,to cover fundraising, administrative expensesand Paulsons salary and benefits, according to the Federal Trade Commission. It is a public relations worst case scenario. Rieckenberg recalls that the Red Cross was failing to get cooking supplies to kitchens run by its partner, the Southern Baptists. Relief workers for other groups often found the Red Cross efforts ineffectual and at times even absurdist, says Sofa Gallis Muriente, a volunteer for the relief group Occupy Sandy. Please note that NORD provides this information for the benefit of the rare disease community. The cost to the Red Cross: about $7 apiece, much more than normal. ) or https:// means youve safely connected to the .gov website. Barbra Streisand. He says he refused, telling his superiors that if anyone should be let go, it should be him, since he was in charge. Rieckenberg emailed his superior at national headquarters on Sept. 12, 2012, to sound the alarm. A major offender, officials say, was Help the Vets, which had a nationwide operation, soliciting donations for its funding of veterans' medical care, including breast cancer treatment, a suicide prevention program, retreats for recuperating from stressand veterans fighting breast cancer. Under that, it lists one of the problems as diverting assets for public relation purposes.. Tim Hagey, manager of a local water utility, recalls how he used to assure people that the local public water was safe. Veterans find relief from nightmares with NightWare and Apple Watch. EPA testing from 2013 to 2015 found significant amounts of PFAS in public water supplies in 33 U.S. states. nycha employment verification. Secure .gov websites use HTTPS Youve got a 75-year-old emergency response vehicle driver whos got to go up 17 stories to feed a 75-year-old disaster victim. It's in her.". The man, a doctor who needed to return home for his shift at a hospital, was forcibly removed from a plane because a crew member needed his seat. WebThe American Institute of Philanthropy in 2007 awarded a Grade of "F" to National Veterans Services Fund, reporting that only 2% of revenues went to veterans services, and that We are more enamored with the perception of success rather than success, Rieckenberg told them, according to his notes. So did scientific studies that firmed up the health risks. Independent academics and government regulators say they don't fully share the industry's expressed confidence about the safety of PFAS versions now in use. Did you know it takes a Victorias Secret model five hours to unload one box off a truck? the official says.