Editorial: Tidal wave of criticism and doubt

Monday, Dec. 19, 2005 | 8:45 a.m.

Four months after Hurricane Katrina's winds have faded, the fury rages on at the American Red Cross, which has lost its second CEO in four years and has been criticized before a congressional committee for being unprepared in the wake of the storm that slammed the U.S. Gulf Coast.

Red Cross Chief Marsha Evans resigned last Tuesday, as members of the House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Oversight discussed the charity's response to the Aug. 29 hurricane that left 1,300 people dead and caused an estimated $100 billion in damage. The Red Cross "was overwhelmed" and "was not properly prepared to fulfill its emergency role in our National Response Plan," Rep. Jim McCrery, R-La., told the subcommittee.

The Red Cross, which The New York Times reports received more than half of the $2.96 billion donated to hurricane relief and recovery this year, is a lion among charities. It is a partner in the federal government's disaster response plan and possesses one of the most trusted names in nonprofit work. Whether displaced by a natural disaster or a house fire, American families believe in, and depend on, the Red Cross.

Recent news reports say the charity's board members had issues with Evans' management approach and her coordination and communication. But problems existed before Evans. She replaced former Red Cross Chief Bernadine Healy, who resigned in October 2001 after similar disputes. The charity also later was criticized for the handling of its Sept. 11 victim's fund. And federal regulators criticized the group's blood-supply operation. Red Cross officials say they have corrected those issues.

But a Red Cross spokeswoman told the Times last week that the charity's cumbersome 50-member board -- the average charity board has 17 members -- is dominated by local chapters and their interests. Coordination and communication are difficult.

It is difficult to criticize a charity that gives so much to so many for free. We applaud the thousands of hard-working Red Cross volunteers. Their work is important, which is all the more reason the Red Cross should clean up its administrative mess and be held accountable for the vast amounts of public trust and donations it has accepted.