There are 2 issues here: One is that
we need to get rid of these alleged
"non-profit" places and start increasing
the budgets of FEMA and it's state
counterparts. Secondly, we need
to stop doling out blank checks to
World Aid and start keeping the money
on reserves for ourselves in THIS
country. Let this AP release be
your wake-up call that we are
all headed down the sewer if
World Aid from our own government
reserves is not scaled back and
brought under control. Too much
going over there, and not enough
going over here.
_____________________________________



Jun 16, 7:43 PM EDT


American Red Cross: Disaster funds are depleted

By AMY LORENTZEN
Associated Press Writer

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) -- The American Red Cross said on Monday that its Disaster Relief Fund is wiped out and it's being forced to borrow money to help flood victims throughout the Midwest.

Jeff Towers, the organization's chief development officer, said the balance for domestic disaster relief efforts is zero. He said the American Red Cross would borrow to keep workers and volunteers in the field helping flood victims.

"The Red Cross remains committed to providing the scale of services that people expect of the Red Cross when disaster strikes, and the way that we are doing that right now is taking out loans to fund our response," he said during a conference call from Washington. "That's not a position we want to be in; it's obviously not sustainable."

The shortage in the organization's only domestic disaster relief fund comes as it continues flood relief efforts in soaked Iowa and ramps up its work downstream in Illinois and Missouri as more flooding is expected there. Officials said the Red Cross has 2,500 workers on the ground, 89 percent of them volunteers.

Joe Becker, senior vice president of disaster services, said the fund has been depleted over the past few years in the absence of large-scale disasters that bring attention to the relevance of the Red Cross.

"We have had a large number of mid-size disasters or silent disasters that have cost us a considerable amount of money where we've not been able to raise what it's cost us to provide that service," he said.

So far, he said the flood response in the Midwest has cost about $15 million, and Towers said it could reach as high as about $40 million.

"That's putting this in the category of a very significant disaster for the Red Cross, historically, when you would look at what we spend on relief efforts," Becker said.

Towers said the organization has raised only about $3.2 million toward the flooding response. He said it's an especially difficult time to seek funds with a troubled economy and many previous givers now reaching an age that they are on a fixed income.

He said much of what the Red Cross can expect to spend will depend on what happens down river.

"Frankly, the wild card is whether St. Louis floods or how significantly St. Louis floods," Becker said, adding that the crest there is expected to be 39 feet, about 10 feet lower than in 1993. "We're taking that as good news."


____________________________________________
END of AP Release

REPLY:

That doesn't mean that it all has to come
from crappy, incompetent, and unoversighted
"non profit organizations". FEMA needs to
bump up it's game, get legislated and get
seriously funded to start addressing these
issues so that the national budget can be
appropriately locked up for American needs.
Right now the agencies are slacking under
the ridiculous assumptions that "non profits"
will take up the slack. We have to move
away from that idea.

Let the non profits go under. Too much
going on there that nobody can see until
there is a crisis. Get it out in the
open at the agencies where everybody
can lobby for change or funding, whichever
is needed. And honestly, I don't think
we need a U.S. Dept. of Bums. With electronic
transfer banking now, get these lame and
sorry jackasses out of the shelters and
into real housing and be done with it.
Close the shelters and get over themselves
I say. They could end it all tomorrow
with a mandatory landlord system that
pays into rental accounts.

Let's get back to the REAL needy
which is the disaster victims and
people caught in between corruption
gaps like the VA and Social Security.

If you've got kids, that's YOUR responsibility
and not government.

Here is something that nobody thinks
about: Americans are throwing millions
upon billions of dollars straight down
a RatHole on public donations to these
charities, just to pay for "facilities"
and "staff" multiplied times 1,000 across
this country.

Do away with all that and start funding
the dam agencies like they should
and free up all of that money and
give it back to the taxpayers. It is
only fanatical churches who tout
all of this nonsense that we absolutely
HAVE to "donate" parts of our incomes.
We don't. We pay taxes either in
home properties or on income or at
sales tax so the non profits really
do need to get over their sorry selves
and go home and find something else
to do.

Get the agencies up and running like
they should and be done with it.
That means cutting back World Aid
and Us First !!

This message has been edited. Last edited by: McClellanVet,

I shudder to think what will happen to Americans with any more disasters this year. Those who suffer more, are the poor and sick.

We need to turn our hearts towards home now, and take care of home matters. We have helped many out of our own country for years. We are always there to give aide to countries who need it. Yet, I feel many times, we are not appreciated for our humanitarian efforts.

America is having her troubles right now. Are we to turn our heads on the needs of her children? I know as a mother, that if my child were homeless, sick and starving---that would get top priortity first, over all others needs. It really is, time to prioritize, for the needs of all Americans. We can't save the world, but we can take care of matters at home.

Anything else right now, would be a mismanagement of allocation of funds. We have so many children/adolescents on our own street corners, who go to bed hungry and scared. There home,has become the streets. Many now, are dying from lack of good medicine and medical care. Our elderly, are neglected/abused in nursing centers, and many older couples are losing their homes, can't pay bills (electric, water & gas)---they don't even have enough money for food to sustain themselves for life.

Many elderly commit suicide with their loved one. When they realize they are losing everything, they don't know what to do, and decide to end life together, rather than to go on the streets or in shelters. The shock alone to many elderly citizens of losing their homes and health, is death.

We have a crisis in immense proportion, that is growing daily. The ones to really feel the pain of it all are women of all ages who have no home and no place to stay with their children. Many children, have no bed to call their own---they sleep in shelters, and cry themselves to sleep, and pray for a home again.

Many shelters are full, and turn away many, to sleep in the streets at night. It is time to take care of problems at home.