Public Accountability Requires Citizen Action (disasteraccountability.org)
Much of Red Cross Fund for Sandy Aid still unspent – Associated Press Seven months after Superstorm Sandy, the Red Cross has only spent a third of the $303 million it raised to assist victims. Is this smart planning? “The Red Cross has never been a recovery operation. Their responsibility has always been [...]
What Would Romney-Ryan Mean for FEMA? – Mother Jones Federal disaster management would likely take a severe cut in funding and efficiency as a result should a Romney-Ryan presidency occur, according to a Mother Jones analysis of Republican Vice Presidential Nominee Paul Ryan’s “Path to Prosperity” roadmap. The roadmap does not specifically name FEMA or [...]
Fraud seeps into fund to assist the victims of Gulf oil disaster – Miami Herald via Philadelphia Inquirer More than 100 people have been arrested for allegedly submitting fraudulent claims to the disaster relief fund created for victims of the BP oil spill in 2010. Individuals facing charges include business owners who allegedly filed false [...]
By Patrick Boyle Intern, Disaster Accountability Project We cannot keep witnessing the number of LDCs grow… We must do better… – Arjun Karki, in his opening statement to the U.N. Earlier this year in Istanbul, the U.N. held an international summit to address the issues of the world’s “Least Developed Countries” (LDC’s). Held once every [...]
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE January 5, 2011 *updated 1/7 Contact: Ben Smilowitz, 01-202-556-3023 ben@disasteraccountability.org *Ben is in Haiti until January 13* Disaster Accountability Project Releases One Year Report On The Transparency of Relief Organizations Responding to the 2010 Haiti Earthquake Report finds near “Factual-Blackout” in relief/aid organizations’ regular, detailed reporting: aggregates, anecdotes, and appeals to emotion [...]
By Ben Smilowitz, Executive Director, Disaster Accountability Project Billions of dollars were raised for Haiti relief, but significantly less has actually reached Haiti. And we’re not talking about administrative costs. What’s going on? After a disaster, the public is eager to donate. Organizations urge the public to be generous, celebrities are enlisted to make appeals. [...]
On face value, the term NGO does not necessarily mean that an organization receives money or tax incentives from the government, or that it provides services to the public, receives donations, nor has any social mission, or explicit or implied public responsibility. However, the term NGO regularly applies to non-profit organizations whose legal status is [...]