Hurricanes Katrina and Rita
Provision of Charitable Assistance Gao ID: GAO-06-297T December 13, 2005The devastation and dislocation of individuals experienced throughout the Gulf Coast in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Texas in the wake of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita has raised concern about both the charitable sector's and the government's abilities to effectively respond to such disasters. To strengthen future disaster response and recovery operations, the government needs to understand what went right and what went wrong, and to apply these lessons. The National Response Plan outlines the roles of federal agencies and charities in response to national disasters. Recognizing the historically large role of charities in responding to disasters, the plan included charities as signatories and gave them considerable responsibilities. In addition to carrying out the responsibilities outlined in the National Response Plan, charities served as partners to the federal government in providing both immediate and long-term assistance following Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. GAO was asked to provide an overview of lessons learned from charities' response to previous disasters as well as preliminary observations about the role of charities following the Gulf Coast hurricanes. As part of our ongoing work, GAO will continue to analyze federal and charitable efforts following the hurricanes.
Following September 11, 2001, GAO reported lessons learned that could help charities enhance their response to future disasters. These included easing access to aid for eligible individuals, enhancing coordination among charities and between charities and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), increasing attention to public education, and planning for future events. GAO also recommended that FEMA convene a working group of charities to coordinate lessons learned following September 11. Following the GAO report, seven disaster response charities partnering with FEMA formed the Coordinated Assistance Network to improve collaboration and facilitate data sharing. Following the Gulf Coast hurricanes, charities raised more than $2.5 billion dollars, according to Indiana University's Center of Philanthropy, with more than half of these funds going to the American Red Cross. GAO's preliminary work shows that these charities have taken steps to improve coordination of relief efforts by sharing information through daily conference calls and electronic databases. Despite these efforts, charities faced some challenges in coordinating service delivery. For example, some charities reported that their volunteers needed additional training to use the databases. GAO teams that visited the Gulf Coast region in October 2005 observed that in areas where the American Red Cross did not provide services, the Salvation Army and smaller organizations--often local churches--were able to meet many of the charitable needs of hard-to-reach communities. The American Red Cross's efforts to protect service providers may have prohibited it from operating in some of the harder-to-reach areas. Additionally, some concerns were raised about smaller charities' abilities to provide adequate disaster relief services.
GAO-06-297T, Hurricanes Katrina and Rita: Provision of Charitable Assistance
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Testimony:
Before the Subcommittee on Oversight, Committee on Ways and Means,
House of Representatives:
United States Government Accountability Office:
GAO:
For Release on Delivery Expected at 3:00 p.m. EST:
Tuesday, December 13, 2005:
Hurricanes Katrina and Rita:
Provision of Charitable Assistance:
Statement of Cynthia Fagnoni, Managing Director, Education, Workforce
and Income Security Issues:
GAO-06-297T:
GAO Highlights:
Highlights of GAO-06-297T, a report to House Committee on Ways and
Means Subcommittee on Oversight:
Why GAO Did This Study:
The devastation and dislocation of individuals experienced throughout
the Gulf Coast in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Texas in the
wake of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita has raised concern about both the
charitable sector‘s and the government‘s abilities to effectively
respond to such disasters. To strengthen future disaster response and
recovery operations, the government needs to understand what went right
and what went wrong, and to apply these lessons.
The National Response Plan outlines the roles of federal agencies and
charities in response to national disasters. Recognizing the
historically large role of charities in responding to disasters, the
plan included charities as signatories and gave them considerable
responsibilities.
In addition to carrying out the responsibilities outlined in the
National Response Plan, charities served as partners to the federal
government in providing both immediate and long-term assistance
following Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.
GAO was asked to provide an overview of lessons learned from charities‘
response to previous disasters as well as preliminary observations
about the role of charities following the Gulf Coast hurricanes. As
part of our ongoing work, GAO will continue to analyze federal and
charitable efforts following the hurricanes.
What GAO Found:
Following September 11, 2001, GAO reported lessons learned that could
help charities enhance their response to future disasters. These
included easing access to aid for eligible individuals, enhancing
coordination among charities and between charities and the Federal
Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), increasing attention to public
education, and planning for future events. GAO also recommended that
FEMA convene a working group of charities to coordinate lessons learned
following September 11. Following the GAO report, seven disaster
response charities partnering with FEMA formed the Coordinated
Assistance Network to improve collaboration and facilitate data
sharing.
Following the Gulf Coast hurricanes, charities raised more than $2.5
billion dollars, according to Indiana University‘s Center of
Philanthropy, with more than half of these funds going to the American
Red Cross. GAO‘s preliminary work shows that these charities have taken
steps to improve coordination of relief efforts by sharing information
through daily conference calls and electronic databases. Despite these
efforts, charities faced some challenges in coordinating service
delivery. For example, some charities reported that their volunteers
needed additional training to use the databases.
GAO teams that visited the Gulf Coast region in October 2005 observed
that in areas where the American Red Cross did not provide services,
the Salvation Army and smaller organizations–often local churches–were
able to meet many of the charitable needs of hard-to-reach communities.
The American Red Cross‘s efforts to protect service providers may have
prohibited it from operating in some of the harder-to-reach areas.
Additionally, some concerns were raised about smaller charities‘
abilities to provide adequate disaster relief services.
Charitable distribution center in Harrison County, Mississippi:
[See PDF for image]
[End of figure]
www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-06-297T.
To view the full product, including the scope and methodology, click on
the link above. For more information, contact Cynthia Fagnoni at (202)
512-7215 or fagnonic@gao.gov.
[End of section]
Mr. Chairman and Members of the Subcommittee:
I am pleased to be here today to discuss the role of charitable
services in response to recent Gulf Coast hurricanes. Hurricanes
Katrina and Rita caused massive destruction and large-scale disruption
of lives in Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas. In response to
this destruction, we have witnessed heroic efforts by public, private,
and nonprofit organizations and volunteers. My testimony today will
present some of our observations regarding the performance of charities
in response to these hurricanes. These natural disasters have placed
strengthening the nation's emergency response efforts at the top of the
national agenda. Comptroller General Walker has stated that GAO will
provide support to Congress through analysis and evaluation of
coordination efforts among federal agencies, and between federal
agencies and the state, local, private, and nonprofit sectors. GAO has
conducted several previous reviews of federal actions following
national disasters, including Hurricane Andrew in 1992 and the
terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, that will be helpful in
evaluating the nation's response to recent hurricanes. We plan to
conduct all Katrina-related work under the Comptroller General's
authority since it is an issue of interest to the entire Congress and
numerous committees in both houses.
Charities have addressed many short-and long-term needs of the victims
of recent hurricanes in the Gulf Coast region. Their efforts represent
the largest disaster response effort in United States history by
charitable organizations. As charities collect donations to address
these needs, questions have been raised about how the money will be
used and how charitable relief efforts will be coordinated. This
testimony will discuss progress to date in incorporating lessons
learned from our review of charitable coordination following September
11, and preliminary observations about the coordination of charities
after the recent hurricanes. This testimony is based upon published GAO
reports; ongoing work; relevant interviews with federal, state, and
local government officials in states affected by the hurricanes;
interviews with charitable officials and national experts; and data on
total hurricane-related donations to charities from Indiana
University's Center on Philanthropy.
In summary, we learned from our work following the September 11 attacks
that charities could take steps to make it easier for survivors of
disasters to get the help they need, improve coordination among
charities and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), better
educate the public about charities' roles in disaster recovery, and
plan for responding to future disasters. Following our report, seven
charities formed a network to share information electronically about
aid recipients and services provided, improve coordination, and ease
access to aid. The group worked in partnership with FEMA to develop a
database to share information between agencies. In a little more than 3
months, charities have raised more than $2.5 billion to assist in
hurricane relief and recovery efforts. In addition, charities have
taken other steps to improve coordination following the Gulf Coast
hurricanes. Charities shared information through meetings at the
American Red Cross headquarters, daily conference calls, and electronic
databases that allowed multiple organizations to access information
about services provided to hurricane victims. Despite these efforts,
some charities raised concerns about the usefulness of the conference
calls and electronic databases for sharing information. For example,
some charities said that daily conference calls after Katrina included
too many organizations and did not provide the information they needed.
There were also problems with providing charitable services to victims
in some hard-to-reach areas. GAO teams in the field reported that the
American Red Cross did not provide relief in certain areas because of
safety policies. In areas where the American Red Cross did not operate,
GAO teams observed that other charities, such as the Salvation Army and
smaller charities--often local churches--provided relief services.
Although smaller organizations provided needed charitable services in
the Gulf Coast region, some concerns have been raised about their
ability to provide adequate services to victims. We will be reviewing
this issue in more detail over the next several months. GAO is
currently engaged in ongoing work on the coordination of charitable
efforts in response to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita and will further
examine how effectively charities coordinated their responses to recent
hurricanes.
Background:
Charities are organizations established to serve broad public purposes,
such as the needs of the poor or distressed and other social welfare
issues. The Internal Revenue Service reported that for 2002, 501(c)(3)
organizations, which include charities, had total assets of over $1.7
trillion. In 2004, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) recognized
820,000 charities, accounting for about 90 percent of 501(c)(3)
organizations.[Footnote 1] Charities can include organizations with
missions such as helping the poor, advancing religion, educating the
public, or providing disaster relief services. Although the federal
government indirectly subsidizes charities through their tax-exempt
status and by allowing individuals to deduct charitable contributions
from their income taxes, the federal government has a fairly limited
role in monitoring charities. States provide the primary oversight of
charities through their attorneys general and charity offices.
Charities' Response to National Disasters:
Charities have historically played a large role in the nation's
response to disasters. For example, after the September 11 attacks, 35
of the nation's larger charities--including the American Red Cross and
the Salvation Army--collected almost $2.7 billion to provide food,
shelter, mental health services, and other types of aid.
Charities' roles in responding to disasters can vary. Some charities,
including the American Red Cross and the Salvation Army, are equipped
to arrive at a disaster scene and provide immediate mass care,
including food, shelter, and clothing, and in some circumstances,
emergency financial assistance to affected persons. Other charities
focus on providing longer-term assistance, such as job training,
scholarships, or mental health counseling. In addition, new charities
may form after disasters to address specific needs, such as the
charities established after the September 11 attacks to serve survivors
of restaurant workers and firefighters.
National Response Plan:
The U.S. government's National Response Plan provides a single,
comprehensive framework for the federal response to domestic incidents,
such as natural disasters and terrorist attacks. The plan provides the
structure and mechanisms for the coordination of federal support to
states and localities. Major cabinet and other federal agencies are
signatories to the plan, along with the American Red Cross and the
National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (National VOAD), a
national charity umbrella organization. The American Red Cross and
National VOAD are the only nongovernmental organizations that signed
the Plan. In December 2004, the Department of Homeland Security
released the plan, which was developed at the request of President
Bush. The plan incorporates and replaces several previous plans for
disaster management, including the Federal Response Plan, which was
originally signed in 1992. One of the ways the plan changed the Federal
Response Plan was by not naming charities active in disaster relief
other than the American Red Cross, but instead incorporating them under
the umbrella organization, National VOAD.
The plan designates 15 Emergency Support Functions, each identifying a
specific disaster response need as well as organizations that have key
roles in helping meet those needs. The sixth Emergency Support
Function, the function most relevant to charities involved in disaster
relief, creates a working group of key federal agencies and charitable
organizations to address:
* mass care, including sheltering, feeding, and emergency first aid;
* housing, both short-and long-term; and:
* human services, such as counseling, processing of benefits, and
identifying support for persons with special needs.
As a direct service provider, the American Red Cross feeds and shelters
victims of disasters. In addition to fulfilling this role, the American
Red Cross is responsible for coordinating federal efforts to address
mass care, housing, and human services under Emergency Support Function
6 with FEMA. The American Red Cross is the only charity to serve as a
primary agency under any Emergency Support Function. The plan gives the
American Red Cross responsibility for coordinating federal mass care
assistance in support of state and local efforts. The American Red
Cross also has responsibilities under other Emergency Support
Functions, such as providing counseling services and working with the
federal government to distribute ice and water. FEMA's responsibilities
include convening regular meetings with key agencies and coordinating
the transition of service delivery from mass care operations to long-
term recovery activities, among other responsibilities.
National VOAD, a membership organization composed of approximately 40
charities that provide services following disasters, is designated as a
support agency under Emergency Support Function 6, but it does not
provide direct services to victims.[Footnote 2] Rather, National VOAD
is responsible for sharing information with its member organizations
regarding the severity of the disaster, needs identified, and actions
taken to address these needs.
Following September 11, GAO Reported That More Effective Collaboration
Could Enhance Charities' Contributions in Disasters:
Following September 11, GAO reported several lessons learned that could
help charities enhance their response to future disasters.[Footnote 3]
These included easing access to aid for eligible individuals, enhancing
coordination among charities and between charities and FEMA, increasing
attention to public education, and planning for future events. Further,
GAO recommended that FEMA convene a working group to encourage
charities involved in disaster response to integrate these lessons
learned from the September 11 attacks. Following our report, seven of
the largest disaster response charities, in partnership with FEMA,
formed the Coordinated Assistance Network (CAN) to ease collaboration
and facilitate data sharing. While the network databases are still
largely in a pilot phase, both government and charity representatives
have praised the potential of the network's databases to improve
collaboration.
Lessons Learned from September 11 Could Improve Charities' Response to
Future Disasters:
* Easing access to aid for those eligible: We reported that charities
could help survivors find out what assistance is available and ease
their access to that aid through a central, easy-to-access
clearinghouse of public and private assistance. We also suggested
offering eligible survivors a case manager, as was done in New York
City and in Washington, D.C., following September 11 to help to
identify gaps in service and provide assistance over the long term.
* Enhancing coordination among charities and with FEMA: We also found
that private and public agencies could improve service delivery by
coordinating, collaborating, sharing information with each other, and
understanding each other's roles and responsibilities. Collaborative
working relationships are critical to the success of other strategies
to ease access to aid or identify service gaps, such as creating a
streamlined application process or a database of families of those
killed and injured.
* Increasing attention to public education: After September 11, we
reported that charities could better educate the public about the
disaster recovery services they provide and ensure accountability by
more fully informing the public about how they are using donations.
Charities could improve transparency by taking steps when collecting
funds to more clearly specify the purposes of the funds raised, the
different categories of people they plan to assist, the services they
plan to provide, and how long the charity plans to provide assistance.
* Planning for future events: Further, we reported that planning for
how charities will respond to future disasters could aid the recovery
process for individuals and communities. Although each disaster
situation is unique, it could be useful for charities to develop an
assistance plan to inform the public and guide the charities'
fundraising efforts. In addition, state and local emergency
preparedness efforts could explicitly address the role of charities and
charitable aid in future events.
Charities Formed National Network to Improve Coordination:
GAO recommended that FEMA convene a working group to encourage
charities involved in disaster response to integrate lessons learned
from the September 11 attacks. After our report, FEMA encouraged
charities to form a working group to share information following
disasters, which became the Coordinated Assistance Network. The seven
charities that formed CAN are the Alliance of Information and Referral
Services, the American Red Cross, National VOAD, the Salvation Army,
9/11 United Services Group, Safe Horizon, and the United Way of
America. The group worked in partnership with FEMA to develop a
database to share information between agencies.
The CAN network addressed several of the lessons learned that GAO
identified. To ease access to aid for those eligible, the network is
designed to share client data, such as previous addresses, employment
information, and FEMA identification numbers, between charities. CAN is
intended to ensure that victims need only explain their circumstances
once, rather than repeatedly to different service providers. To enhance
coordination among charities and with FEMA, the CAN network is designed
to make charities more aware of the services provided by one another
and identify any gaps or redundancies in services. Last, to plan for
future events, the CAN network intends to build partnerships or working
relationships among disaster response charities before disasters
strike. While the CAN network databases are still largely in pilot
phase, both government and charity representatives have praised the
database's potential to improve collaboration and noted that it
functioned well following the disasters, considering that it was not
fully developed.
Preliminary Observations of Charitable Organizations' Operations
Following the Gulf Coast Hurricanes:
Following the hurricanes, charities have raised more than $2.5 billion
to assist in hurricane relief and recovery efforts. Many of the
charities responding to the disaster have taken steps to coordinate
with one another and with FEMA and other government agencies. For
example, charities have shared information through daily conference
calls and through electronic databases that allowed multiple
organizations to access information about services provided to
hurricane victims. Some charity representatives we spoke with praised
the potential of these systems for sharing information, but also raised
concerns that using these systems could be difficult at times.
Charities also experienced problems in providing services to victims in
some hard-to-reach areas. GAO teams that visited the Gulf Coast region
in October 2005 observed that in areas where the American Red Cross did
not operate, other charities, such as the Salvation Army and smaller
charities--often local churches--provided relief services. Although
smaller organizations helped fill the gaps in charitable services in
the Gulf Coast region, some concerns have been raised about their
ability to provide adequate services to victims.
Charities Have Raised More than $2.5 Billion Following the Gulf Coast
Hurricanes:
Charities have raised more than $2.5 billion in cash donations in
response to the Gulf Coast hurricanes, according to the Center on
Philanthropy at Indiana University.[Footnote 4] The center notes that
this number is a low estimate, since it does not include direct giving
to individuals, giving to smaller charities, or in-kind donations. As
of November 18, the American Red Cross had raised more than $1.5
billion, more than half of all dollars raised. The Salvation Army
raised the second-highest amount, $270 million, about 18 percent of the
amount raised by the American Red Cross. The Bush-Clinton Katrina Fund
and Catholic Charities were the next-largest fund raisers, each raising
about $100 million.
Charities Took Steps to Improve Coordination but Experienced Some
Challenges:
Charities operating in the Gulf Coast region following the hurricanes
coordinated services through the convening of major national disaster
relief organizations at the American Red Cross headquarters, daily
conference calls organized by National VOAD, and databases established
by CAN. The usefulness of the daily conference calls, as well as the
CAN databases, was questioned by some charity representatives.
In the weeks following Hurricane Katrina, the American Red Cross
organized a national operations center with representatives from FEMA
and several major national charities, including the Southern Baptist
Convention and the Salvation Army, at its headquarters in Washington,
D.C. Because of the scale of the hurricane disaster and the large
response needed, this was the first time the American Red Cross
coordinated this type of national operations center following a
disaster. This working group helped the major charities coordinate
services on the ground by allowing for face-to-face interaction and
ongoing communication, according to charity representatives and FEMA
officials.
To help fulfill its information-sharing role under Emergency Support
Function 6, National VOAD organized daily conference calls with FEMA
and other federal government representatives and its member
organizations operating in the Gulf Coast region. National VOAD also
invited nonmember charitable organizations that were providing relief
to hurricane victims to participate in these calls, which sometimes
included more than 40 organizations at once. During these calls, both
the federal government and charities were able to provide information
and answer questions about services provided, needs identified, and the
organizations' abilities to meet these needs. Representatives from
charitable organizations told us that these calls were an effective way
to coordinate the delivery of supplies among charities and help
identify those regions that were most in need of charitable services.
Charities were also able to share information through CAN databases.
Following the hurricane disasters, CAN created a Web-based shelter
registry that provided information about emergency shelters operating
in the Gulf Coast region, including their capacity and operating
status. CAN also activated the database of victim information, which at
the time was being tested in six pilot communities. More than 40
charities-all of whom must sign CAN participation agreements, including
the American Red Cross, the Salvation Army, and the United Way of
America-were able to access this database and input information about
the services they provided to individual clients, according to CAN
representatives. Charities could share information about these clients,
who were required to sign privacy releases, through the Web-based
database, thus reducing service duplication and the need for victims to
give the same information to multiple organizations.
Although charity representatives we interviewed reinforced the
importance of the conference calls and the CAN databases, they also
raised concerns about the usefulness of these systems. For example,
some representatives were concerned the conference calls had too many
participants. Because 40 or more charities might be participating in
any one call, the calls often ran long or dealt with issues that may
not have been of interest to the whole group, according to some charity
officials. Additionally, charity representatives told us that call
participants sometimes provided information that turned out to be
inaccurate.
Charity officials we spoke with were supportive of CAN and its mission,
but they raised several concerns about the usefulness of its databases
following the hurricane disasters. One concern that we heard from a few
charities was that the CAN case management system is still in its
developmental stages and was therefore not ready to be activated on
such a large scale. Many volunteers had not received sufficient
training on the system, and some of the technological glitches had not
been completely resolved, according to charity representatives. In
addition, representatives told us that the shelter database, which was
developed soon after the hurricanes and had not been previously tested,
may not have been ready for widespread use. In addition, some officials
said that after Katrina there was neither electricity nor Internet
access in certain locations, and as a result, the CAN databases could
not always be used. Some officials stated that they needed to collect
information in writing at the time of the disaster and then input the
data into the system once they had Internet access-a task that was time-
consuming and diverted resources from other needed areas. CAN officials
responded that the CAN databases were created primarily for long-term
recovery efforts, which would take place after electricity and Internet
access were restored, rather than for short-term relief.
Charity representatives also told us that daily conference calls and
electronic databases helped with coordination efforts, but these
systems were not as important to coordination efforts as pre-existing
relationships. Several of the charities we spoke with stated that in
order for charities to function efficiently following a disaster, they
must have some sort of established working relationship with the other
charities involved in disaster relief efforts. One charity
representative told us that it is difficult to make introductions in
the chaos of a disaster. He stressed that charities that operate in
disasters should have memorandums of understanding signed before a
disaster strikes-a practice used by many charities-so that they can
immediately coordinate efforts in a disaster situation.
Charities Struggled to Balance Access to Services with Concerns
Regarding Safety of Service Providers and Victims:
GAO teams that visited the Gulf Coast in October 2005 observed that the
American Red Cross did not provide relief in certain areas because of
safety policies; and thus, other charities, such as the Salvation Army
and smaller charities, often helped to meet the needs of those areas.
The American Red Cross told us that with the American Society for Civil
Engineers and FEMA, it had previously developed policies intended to
protect the safety of service providers and victims following a
disaster. These policies include not establishing shelters in areas
that may become flooded during a disaster or in structures that strong
winds may compromise. However, victims remained in areas where the
American Red Cross would not establish shelters. Further, where the
American Red Cross was able to establish shelters, the needs of victims
sometimes exceeded the capacity of the American Red Cross, as this
represented the largest response effort in American Red Cross history.
GAO teams in Mississippi observed that the Salvation Army and smaller
charities, such as local church organizations, filled many of the needs
for volunteer services that the American Red Cross did not meet.
Additionally, GAO teams estimated that in the Birmingham, Alabama,
area, a significant portion of the approximately 7,000 evacuees were
being cared for and sometimes being housed by local churches and their
members.
Although smaller organizations provided needed charitable services in
the Gulf Coast region, some concerns have been raised about the
organizations' abilities to provide adequate services to victims. Some
officials told us that the smaller organizations helped meet important
needs, but many of the organizations had never operated in a disaster
situation and may not have completely understood the situation. For
example, officials told us that some of the small charities that placed
children who were separated from their parents in homes did not retain
sufficient information about which children were placed where. This
made it difficult to locate missing children. Other officials told us
that some of the smaller organizations that tried to establish "tent
cities" to house evacuees were not prepared to provide the water,
sanitation, and electricity these types of shelters require.
In closing, the devastation of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita once again
challenged federal, state, and local governments and charitable
organizations' abilities to provide large-scale aid to hundreds of
thousands of survivors. It also provided a critical opportunity to
assess how the nation's charities have incorporated lessons learned
from responding to the September 11 tragedy.
Our report on charitable organizations' contributions after September
11 identified several lessons learned and made important
recommendations for improving the delivery of charitable services after
disasters. GAO's ongoing work on the coordination of charitable efforts
in response to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita will examine how these
recommendations have been implemented and how effectively charities
coordinated in response to recent hurricanes. Specifically, this
upcoming report will address questions regarding the amount of money
charities have raised to assist people affected by the hurricanes and
how these funds have been used, how well charities are meeting their
responsibilities under the National Response Plan, how well charities
are coordinating their relief efforts, how people affected by the
hurricanes have accessed charitable services and relief supplies and
the challenges they encountered in dealing with charities, and what
charities are doing to guard against fraud and abuse. This report will
be released next year.
Mr. Chairman, this concludes my statement. I would be pleased to
respond to any questions that you or other members of the subcommittee
may have at this time.
GAO Contact:
Cindy Fagnoni (202)512-7215, fagnonic@gao.gov.
Staff Acknowledgments:
Individuals making key contributions to this testimony included Andrew
Sherrill, Tamara Fucile, Mallory Barg Bulman, Scott Spicer, Rachael
Valliere, Walter Vance, Richard Burkard, Bill Jenkins, and Norm Rabkin.
[End of section]
Appendix I:
Members of National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster:
Adventist Community Services:
America's Second Harvest:
American Baptist Men:
American Radio Relay League:
American Red Cross:
Ananda Marga Universal Relief Team:
Catholic Charities USA:
Center for International Disaster Information:
Christian Disaster Response International:
Christian Reformed World Relief Committee:
Church of the Brethren:
Church World Service:
Convoy of Hope:
Disaster Psychiatry Outreach:
Episcopal Relief and Development:
Friends Disaster Service, Inc.:
The Humane Society of the United States:
International Aid:
International Critical Incident Stress Foundation:
International Relief Friendship Foundation:
Lutheran Disaster Response:
Mennonite Disaster Service:
Mercy Medical Airlift:
National Emergency Response Teams:
National Organization for Victim Assistance:
Nazarene Disaster Response:
Northwest Medical Teams International:
The Points of Light Foundation:
Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.):
REACT International, Inc.:
The Salvation Army:
Society of St. Vincent de Paul:
Southern Baptist Convention:
United Church of Christ:
United Jewish Communities:
United Methodist Committee on Relief:
United Way of America:
Volunteers of America:
World Vision:
[End of section]
FOOTNOTES
[1] This estimate based on data from the IRS, with modifications by the
National Center for Charitable Statistics (NCCS) at the Urban
Institute. NCSS excluded foreign and governmental organizations from
the data.
[2] For a list of National VOAD members, see appendix I.
[3] GAO, September 11: More Effective Collaboration Could Enhance
Charitable Organizations' Contributions in Disasters, GAO-03-259
(Washington, D.C.: Dec. 19, 2002).
[4] This sum is as of November 18, 2005.
