Aid workers 'stole $200,000 Katrina cash' (Red Cross) 49 thiefs

[donsu]

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,11069-1962241,00.html


The American Red Cross was facing fresh embarrassment over its response to Hurricane Katrina today as it emerged that at least 19 agency workers stole more than $200,000 from the victims' fund.

Prosecutors in California have charged 49 people in connection with the fraud in which workers in a Red Cross call centre in Bakersfield are alleged to have handed out code numbers to friends and relatives entitling them to collect relief cheques of up to $1,565 (£908).

Mary Wenger of the US Attorney’s office in Sacramento, California, said today that she expected more charges as the investigation progressed. Ms Wenger said that preliminary calculations suggest at least $200,000 (£116,000) had been stolen, adding: "We expect that figure to grow."

The centre in Bakersfield was the largest of three set up to take calls from victims of Hurricane Katrina - the others were in Niagara Falls, New York, and Falls Church, Virginia.

All three centres were staffed by temporary workers, and Spherion - the company which provided them - said today that it had not had time to run full background checks.
-snip-
-----------------------------------------


then I guess Spherion can pay the money back.

and the dead are still in the houses

children are still missing

there is no dancing in the streets

[shance]

1. Im more interested to know how much the Red Cross executives stole.

n/t

[SoCalDem]

3. That, you will never know.

With the technology that exists today, it would be a snap to get a disbursement committee together in whatever area is affected by a disaster (or nearby), and then have LOCAL banks set up "disaster accounts", so that when people donate, they will be sending the money DIRECTLY to those people the see on TV, and not to the account of a mega-charity that "may" use it to help those people, but might not.

People who wrote checks wanted their money to go to that lady with the lethargic baby, and the lady who stood vigil by her dead husband's body, and to the folks who created the memorial to that lady whose body lay in the street for days, and to the elderly people evacuated by boat.. they did not write checks so that temps could make off with their money, and red cross execs could go to seminars in Hawaii in January.

[Coastie for Truth]

7. red cross execs could go to seminars in Hawaii in January.

Hey! I'm a boots on the ground (I had to buy my own safety boots) Volunteer - how do I get to seminars in Hawaii in January? The best I ever got was seminars in Oakland (Not San Francisco - Oakland -- there is a difference).

Read

[Coastie for Truth]

6. Thank you so very much (NOT)

I am a Red Cross VOLUNTEER - I do not get paid. I have to supply my own hard hat and safety shoes, and I also contribute on top of that. Also, post-Katrina I had to get a "National Agency Check" and a "Police Record Check."

Most of the time my volunteer work is one of:

1. "Local Disasters" - getting awakened at 2 AM to go to a fire, where several families have been made homeless. The housing is generally "Section VIII" housing, frequently with no sprinklers or smoke alarms. I am standing out there - on my cell phone - getting them three nights in a flea bag hotel and getting them some money (a set amount per family member based on a Fire Department determination of their loss) for food and clothing. This is on a debit card that has to be activated (one activator, one "approver").

Then I have to turn in the "Damage Assessment" (floor plan, physical damage by room, digital pictures, summary of fire department damage asessment) before going to get some food or going home. Because it hs to go ito the database asap.

I am a diabetic - and at some point my metformin/glucophage kicks in. But the paper work comes first.

2. "Shelter" - this is a pre-arranged area in a community center or school, Typically a gymnasium with separate male and female bathrooms and shower facilites, and a cafeteria, and preferably with (semi-) prvate offices for our mental health counsellors, nurses, and social workers (all unpaid volunteers.

Sounds simple - but the post-traumatic stress disorder sets in. Plus people come to the shelter to "settle scores" with the victims.

If the Red Cross went away today - for a major disaster (like a major aprtment complex destroyed by fire, a regional flood, a tornado) - the place would not be taken by a ground swell of well meaning, idealistic, altruistic volunteers. Figure some mix of a structure with the - The National Guard is in Iraq - or Afghanistan - or wherever, and the professional first responders are tied up under "Mutual Assistance Agreements" where the damage is even worse.

What is ? Wiki describes it as

State Defense Forces are distinct from the National Guard in that they are not federal entities and cannot be made so. The federal government officially recognized State Defense Forces under 32 USC Sec 109 and provided that State Defense Forces "may not be called, ordered, or drafted into the armed forces" (of the United States), thus preserving their separation from the National Guard.

SDFs generally operate with emergency management and homeland security missions.

Most states organize their State Defense Force in parallel to their National Guard force, having it report to the governor through the Adjutant General. The Force is not funded by the federal government in any way. In most states, members act on a completely volunteer basis, have to purchase any uniforms after the first, and supply their own arms (if armed).

What is the ?

The Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) Program educates people about disaster preparedness for hazards that may impact their area and trains them in basic disaster response skills, such as fire safety, light search and rescue, team organization, and disaster medical operations. Using the training learned in the classroom and during exercises, CERT members can assist others in their neighborhood or workplace following an event when professional responders are not immediately available to help. CERT members also are encouraged to support emergency response agencies by taking a more active role in emergency preparedness projects in their community.

Following a major disaster, first responders who provide fire and medical services will not be able to meet the demand for these services. Factors as number of victims, communication failures, and road blockages will prevent people from accessing emergency services they have come to expect at a moment's notice through 911. People will have to rely on each other for help in order to meet their immediate life saving and life sustaining needs.

One also expects that under these kinds of conditions, family members, fellow employees, and neighbors will spontaneously try to help each other. This was the case following the Mexico City earthquake where untrained, spontaneous volunteers saved 800 people. However, 100 people lost their lives while attempting to save others. This is a high price to pay and is preventable through training.

If we can predict that emergency services will not meet immediate needs following a major disaster, especially if there is no warning as in an earthquake, and people will spontaneously volunteer, what can government do to prepare citizens for this eventuality?

First, present citizens the facts about what to expect following a major disaster in terms of immediate services. Second, give the message about their responsibility for mitigation and preparedness. Third, train them in needed life saving skills with emphasis on decision making skills, rescuer safety, and doing the greatest good for the greatest number. Fourth, organize teams so that they are an extension of first responder services offering immediate help to victims until professional services arrive.

The Community Emergency Response Team concept was developed and implemented by the Los Angeles City Fire Department (LAFD) in 1985. The Whittier Narrows earthquake in 1987 underscored the area-wide threat of a major disaster in California. Further, it confirmed the need for training civilians to meet their immediate needs. As a result, the LAFD created the Disaster Preparedness Division with the purpose of training citizens and private and government employees.

The training program that LAFD initiated makes good sense and furthers the process of citizens understanding their responsibility in preparing for disaster. It also increases their ability to safely help themselves, their family and their neighbors. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) recognizes the importance of preparing citizens. The Emergency Management Institute (EMI) and the National Fire Academy adopted and expanded the CERT materials believing them applicable to all hazards.

The CERT course will benefit any citizen who takes it. This individual will be better prepared to respond to and cope with the aftermath of a disaster. Additionally, if a community wants to supplement its response capability after a disaster, civilians can be recruited and trained as neighborhood, business, and government teams that, in essence, will be auxiliary responders. These groups can provide immediate assistance to victims in their area, organize spontaneous volunteers who have not had the training, and collect disaster intelligence that will assist professional responders with prioritization and allocation of resources following a disaster. Since 1993 when this training was made available nationally by FEMA, communities in 28 States and Puerto Rico have conducted CERT training.

If you don't have some training and organization ... forget it.

[RaleighNCDUer]

2. Glad they caught them, but law enforcement

will focus on these relatively minor crimes ($200,000 divided by 49 perps = app. 4,080.00 each) and the big money siphoned off by Bushco cronyism will be swept under the rug. What was Blackwater doing in NO, and who paid them, and how much? What about the Texas company that got the contract for handling the dead - a company that had already gotten in trouble for cooking its books in Texas -- what was their contract worth, and why are there still so many hundreds, if not thousands, still unaccounted for? What about Halliburton, an oil-resources company, getting a rebuilding contract for NO? How many oil wells are there in the French Quarter?

[Spazito]

4. Well, well, well, now we know why Marsha resigned

Red Cross President Resigns; Questions Remain

Dec. 13, 2005 — Today's resignation by American Red Cross President Marsha Evans makes her the third in the last four presidents of the organization to end their tenure after a major national disaster.

Evans' resignation came as a surprise just hours before a congressional committee heard detailed testimony of Red Cross shortcomings and failures in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.

more

http://abcnews.go.com/WNT/story?id=1402984

She was a major bush donor as well, surprise, surprise.

[FloridaPat]

5. But Halliburton can get no-bid contracts to clean up everything

and that's OK? * can start a war based on lies and spend almost $1/2 trillion and that's OK. And you can bet the federal gravy train in New Orleans isn't going to stop now for *'s friend and family.

[Horse with no Name]

8. Spherion??This is veryyyyy interesting

A couple of weeks ago I had a conversation with someone who worked for Accutel which is a call center for GMAC.
A few months ago, there was a thread talking about how General Motors was going to sell off GMAC. Speculation was that since GMAC was profitable and GM was not, that they were going to jettison the money maker before the other went belly up.
However, my friend was telling me that NOW Accutel and the former GMAC had formed ANOTHER company--that was Spherion and her speculation was that stocks for Spherion were going to shoot sky high because Spherion had plans to open hundreds of call centers throughout the country(sounded an awful lot like insider trading information to me).
I find it very interesting that Spherion--a conglomerate of GMAC and Accutel--would hire inexperienced people without doing background checks.
In fact--I actually find it very hard to believe.
It will be interesting to see what comes out of this rabbit hole.

[Coastie for Truth]

9. Spherion

You asked/posted

I find it very interesting that Spherion--a conglomerate of GMAC and Accutel--would hire inexperienced people without doing background checks.
In fact--I actually find it very hard to believe.
It will be interesting to see what comes out of this rabbit hole.

This is the "new economy" - the Wal-Mart economy -- and we are "In a race to the bottom."