10 Disturbing Things About the Red Cross’ Sandy Relief Efforts

A woman waits for food at the window of Red Cross Disaster Relief truck in the Rockaways following Hurricane Sandy in the Queens borough of New York City on Jan. 25, 2013. Spencer Platt/Getty Images

While the Red Cross called its response nearly “flawless,” a ProPublica investigation uncovered a much different version of events.

For example, children were sheltered next to sex offenders.

The Red Cross took emergency vehicles away from aid work and used them as props at press events…

(The charity disputes this. See the story for more details.)

Meanwhile, storm victims were going hungry…

…and disabled victims were stuck sleeping in wheelchairs for days…

The Red Cross didn’t have batteries to give out with flashlights…

Luboš Volkov/The Noun Project

…but they did supply meals that included pork to a Jewish retirement home.

Jacob Halton/The Noun Project

It wasn’t just Sandy. The Red Cross dispatched 80 emergency response vehicles after Hurricane Isaac — but they were nearly empty.

They sent hundreds of volunteers to a city that wasn’t in Isaac’s path…

See document: Contemporaneous emails complaining about Tampa decision

Red Cross officials on the ground say they were undermined by headquarters.

See document: Rieckenberg letter to Red Cross execs after Sandy

Republished with permission from ProPublica. Read the original.