Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner is speaking out after complaints regarding the Red Cross. Several people have questioned where the millions of dollars in resources given to the Red Cross is going.
“If you promise people something, you got to make it happen because – otherwise — don’t promise at all,” Turner said.
Several Harvey survivors claimed they are not getting the assistance promised by the organization, specifically $400 promised to families who survived the flood. The Red Cross announced it was giving the money to those in need, but said its system for the program went down and representatives did not know when it would be up.
More than $300 million has been donated to the Red Cross. The mayor said he understands helping people on this scale is difficult, but he said the organization should give people answers.
“If the Red Cross, if anyone … If I tell you I’m going to do this, and I don’t do it, then I have to be willing to accept the criticism because right now, when people are in a very difficult situation, they’re relying on what you tell them. And, if you say you’re going to do a, b, c or d you better do a, b, c, or d or you better get out front very quickly and tell people why you can’t do a, b, c or d,” Turner said.
The Red Cross issued a statement.
“On September 21, the Red Cross plans to launch a single website where severely impacted households from 39 Texas counties can apply for $400. We expect the website to have sufficient capacity to handle all registrations; applications will not be accepted through any other website or phone number. Registration will remain open until October 10.”