FEMA Replaces Red Cross as Lead Disaster-Aid Coordinator
April 18, 2007
A U.S. Senate panel has agreed to make the Federal Emergency Management Agency the lead coordinator of first aid, food, and shelter during disasters, replacing the American Red Cross, reports The Washington Post.
The change is administrative and will not affect the Red Cross’s direct-relief services, a spokeswoman for the charity told the newspaper.
The two organizations were widely criticized for problems that emerged in the provision of aid to victims of Hurricane Katrina, the paper notes.
