A Brief Note On The American Red Cross

For decades, America has fought in many different wars with the need of health assistance for their soldiers. The American Red Cross is a worldwide organization that helped during the times of war but also provided a path for scientific advancements. Through the American Red Cross and other organizations of this time, they opened up the doors for women to take the chance to advance in the medical field by participating in scientific experiments and being at the aide of wounded soldiers. During this time of scrutiny, the Great War was a hidden opportunity for the encroachment of medical research with the contribution to the expansion of nursing.

During the aftermath of Hurricane Maria, International Relief Teams sent over individuals and aid to help the Puerto Ricans have a time to heal. From a food standpoint, the organization was able to donate two twenty food shipping container of canned food, one forty-foot shipping container of canned meats and fish, and three forty-foot shipping containers of drinking water. With many individuals wondering where their next meal would come from, these provisions were definitely an answer to prayer. Two thousand heavy duty tarps were also sent over as means of shelter, giving people a roof over their heads and a place safer than the street to sleep. One thousand one hundred disaster health kits were distributed in addition to further medical assistance in the area. The International Relief Teams organization was able to address serious immediate concerns that were going on in the community. Equipping these people with basic necessities gives them the energy to rebuild their live from the destructions from Hurricane

Every day in the United States hurricanes, floods, fires, accidents and other disasters happen. Once the organization is contacted, they are more than likely the first organization to respond. During hard times, the American Red Cross has a giving site where volunteers can go online and buy items to help support the victims of the disaster. For 18 dollars a volunteer can donate three blankets. For 20 dollars a volunteer can give hot meals to two people. For 2,000 dollars, a volunteer can supply a food truck that will be rushed to the victims of a disaster. 91 percent of its funds on programs support around 200 disasters in the United States daily.

Undoubtedly, the American Red Cross has done many wonders over the course of its existence. Whether it is providing relief from disasters, aiding the less fortunate nationally and internationally or saving lives with their blood program, the Red Cross has always been there to help the world become a safer place to live in. Most recently, this organization has had a strong impact in the recovery of “Superstorm” Sandy and Hurricane Isaac, providing food and water, multiple shelters for people that have lost their homes and even counseling during such a devastating time (“Top 20 Accomplishments”).

The American Red Cross is a major organization in the United States and around the world. Clara Barton founded the American chapter in 1881. She was a public servant who decided to get involved during the civil war by attending to wounded soldiers and feeding them on the battlefield. Her sense of humanitarian work was only strengthened by her trip to Europe during the Franco Prussian war, where she discovered the initiative of Henri Dunant (Reitman, 1996). After the battle of Solfinero, this Swiss banker was shocked by the carnage of war and decided to gather doctors and volunteers around the village to help tend to the wounded. This action motivated him to create a nonpartisan organization that can focus on caring for people wounded in wars and conflicts regardless of their origin. (Reitman, 1996). The organization was ratified in the 1864 Geneva Convention by twelve countries and later by many others. The United States Red Cross was founded due to the efforts of Barton in Washington (Reitman, 1996). The first chapter of the national American Red Cross was created in upstate New York. Later, the organization received funding to create its national headquarters in Washington. Since then, the Red Cross has benefited form a close relationship with Washington as it was created by congressional charter more than a century ago and plays a

The American Red Cross (2010) website tells of an organization guided by the principles of humanity, impartiality, neutrality, independence, and voluntary service whose mission is to, “provide relief to victims of disaster and help people prevent, prepare for, and respond to emergencies” (Mission statement, para. 1). It claims a history of founding in 1881 in Washington D.C. by Clara Barton. Still operating today, 129 years later, is evidence of its success as an organization. It has endured despite the fact that the very nature of

      Now don’t get me started about Hurricane Irma! The International Federation of the Red Cross has released emergency funds to ensure a rapid donation request. Irma’s torrential rains and winds have flooded towns and roads, and destroyed homes and buildings. The Red Cross is marshaling their resources

Even though FEMA has made progress, there is additional work needed in several areas. The response of the storm exposed challenges in how FEMA coordinated Federal agencies, State officials, and preparing and deploying it staff. For example, “difficulties with issuing mission assignment in a timely manner, implementation of incident management structures, and meeting the needs of survivors during the response phase” are some of the challenges that FEMA’s Sandy after action report identified. There were also challenges with delivering disaster relief and services to the seniors and individuals with disabilities trapped in public housing (U.S. Department of Homeland Security, 2013). The report revealed that FEMA had not worked with other federal

In the past, the Red Cross Association has dealt with controversy from its corrupt leadership to its reputation surrounding possible fraud. O.C. Ferrell, John Fraedrich and Linda Ferrell (2015) defines the American Red Cross (ARC) as an independent organization who’s mission is to “provide relief to victims of disasters and help people prevent, prepare for and respond to emergencies” (Ferrell, Fraedrich, & Ferrell, 2015). In recent news, Hurricane Matthew made its way to the United States in October 2016. The category 4 storm was expected to damage the Southeast coast of the United States including Florida and South Carolina (Bacon, 2016). While many residents took precautions and acknowledged the state of emergencies that were put into place,

I am honored to call myself the money manager for the American Red Cross organization. The American Red Cross has 17 million volunteers in 200 countries. It also helps 1 in 25 people around the world each year. It has been an organization since 1881. It helps military families, disasters, and provides life-saving blood.

How did the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the New Jersey emergency agencies and private insurance companies work together or did they? to help victims of the horrific winds and water associated with Hurricane Sandy? This paper delves into that issue.

Approximately three and a half years ago, Superstorm Sandy made landfall in southern New Jersey, becoming the second largest storm in U.S. history. The effect of the storm left “millions of residents without powers, causing widespread flooding, and significant gas shortage throughout New York and New Jersey. The storm caused tens of billions of dollars in damage to hundreds of thousands of homes and killing at least 162 residents” (U.S. Department of Homeland Security, 2013). The FEMA effectively coordinated a Federal response plan that contributed a national effort to support communities and states in affected areas. Before the storm hit, emergency officials evacuated the community. More than 900 staffs were sent to shelters. FEMA coordinated

The American Red Cross had a lack of leadership which ultimately incurred long-term effects on the organizations culture (Ferrell, L., Ferrell, O., & Thorne, 2011). Systemic issues revealed negligence including, fraud, bribery, and theft amongst volunteers and staff (Ferrell et al.). According to James (2012), systemic problems presented in the organizations highest level of hierarchy essentially poses problems throughout the hierarchy to the lowest level. The problems became transparent at the time of the 9/11 tragedy with the ARC not responding quickly (Ferrell, 2011). The ARC was questioned regarding management and communication mishaps (Ferrell, 2011). Moreover, upper management was essentially condoned due to the response issue in such

Every emergency or disaster, from a small house fire to a hurricane that devastates entire communities, have a distinct cycle. This is

On August 29, 2009, Hurricane Katrina struck the United States Gulf Coast. It was a Category 3 Hurricane, according to the Saffir Simpson Scale. Winds gusted to up to 140 miles per hour, and the hurricane was almost 400 miles wide . The storm itself did a tremendous amount of damage, but the storm’s aftermath was cataclysmic. Many claimed that the federal government was slow to meet the needs of the hundreds of thousands of people affected by the storm. This paper will examine the four elements of disaster management – preparedness, response, recovery, and mitigation – as well as an analysis on the data presented.