Texas governor voiced ‘concern’ about Red Cross after Harvey

Associated Press

AUSTIN, Texas

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said Wednesday he raised concerns with the American Red Cross after Hurricane Harvey that hundreds of millions of dollars in donations weren’t getting to the people who needed it.

His comments heaped another powerful voice onto questions surrounding the organization’s response to the Category 4 storm that struck Texas in August and left behind what may become the costliest natural-disaster cleanup in U.S. history.

Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner and Harris County Judge Ed Emmett have previously discouraged donors from giving to the Red Cross after blaming the organization for problems at emergency shelters. Speaking to reporters from Washington, Abbott said he heard “multiple concerns” at the local level that people weren’t seeing aid from the Red Cross as expected.

Abbott said he had multiple conversations with Red Cross President Gail McGovern, most recently about a month ago.

“I did express concern that the money that was allocated, or let’s say donated, to go to Harvey relief was not getting into the hands of the people who need it and about some of the slowness with regard to the funds,” said Abbott, who was in Washington to press the White House and Congress for more federal recovery dollars.

“I know there was a lot of money – as in hundreds of millions of dollars in money – that was available for Texas that seemed not to be getting to Texas in either a timely fashion or in a well-organized, well-directed fashion.”

The Red Cross has raised $429 million in donations and pledges for Harvey, with more than half the total amount raised for storm relief in Texas, according to a tally of major groups by The Associated Press.