WASHINGTON — American Red Cross President Marsha J. Evans, who led the agency through an uneven and much-criticized response to Hurricane Katrina, resigned Tuesday in yet another sign of troubles inside the organization that bears prime responsibility for delivering relief to victims of disasters.
Evans' departure, which Red Cross officials attributed to conflicts with the board of directors rather than to her performance in the Katrina crisis, came as members of Congress and critics outside government again were suggesting that the organization's fundamental role might need to be reconsidered.
Although the Red Cross is a private, nonprofit charitable organization, it carries responsibilities on a scale usually associated with government. In the National Response Plan, the federal government's blueprint for dealing with disasters, the Red Cross is designated as the primary agency responsible for sheltering, feeding and offering medical care to people after emergencies, whether they are man-made, such as terrorist attacks, or natural disasters.
The size of that role -- and the Red Cross' dominance when it comes to raising private donations for disaster relief -- have contributed to making the once-sacrosanct organization a target of increasingly sharp criticism in recent years.
"After witnessing the American Red Cross' struggles during Katrina and [Hurricane] Rita, I am not sure it is prudent for Congress to place such great responsibility in the hands of one organization," said Rep. Jim McCrery (R-La.), who testified about Katrina's effect in his district during a congressional hearing Tuesday.
In the hectic days after Katrina and the subsequent flooding of New Orleans, the Red Cross struggled to keep up with demands for shelter, food and medical care. And some evacuees, as well as some local officials and leaders of other relief groups, complained that the Red Cross had sometimes been slow to respond, had not reached out to remote areas, and had shown insensitivity in its treatment of some poor and disabled storm victims.
For its part, the organization pointed out that it had sent more than 200,000 volunteers into areas devastated by Katrina, gave financial assistance to about 1.2 million families, and provided food and temporary shelter for several million evacuees.
Moreover, defenders noted, the massive challenges posed by Katrina and its floodwaters had overwhelmed federal, state and local government agencies as well.
