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Disaster Accountability Project (DAP)

There is no place for secrecy in a disaster relief organization. ... DAP taking on the American Red Cross about Sandy Superstorm fund flows

Burgess COMMENTARY
The amount of money that goes missing in every disaster is appalling, yet none of the major actors seem to be interested in fixing the problem. Bottom line, they do not know how to change things and have sidelined accountants who can be helpful.
Peter Burgess

Dear Peter,

There is no place for secrecy in a disaster relief organization.

ProPublica reported on a shocking twist in its recent efforts to access information about the American Red Cross response to Superstorm Sandy.

ProPublica tried to access Red Cross documents shared with the NY Attorney General about the organization's post-Sandy activities. Now, American Red Cross is trying to keep that information secret by using a 'Trade Secrets' defense.

Please Sign This Petition: Tell Red Cross to Open Their Superstorm Sandy Records.

Red Cross lawyers even tried to conceal information such as the Red Cross name and the fact the organization was in communication with the Attorney General's office.

This secretive behavior underscores the importance of Disaster Accountability Project's independent oversight and serves as a reminder to donors that they should condition disaster relief donations on transparency, accountability, effectiveness, and real data on the capacity of a particular organization to deliver services.

Please sign this petition and help us spread the word.

No organization with such public, life-saving responsibilities designated by Federal, state, and local governments should be able to claim that information related to its activities are trade secrets.

Thank you,

Ben Smilowitz
Founder and Executive Director

P.S. In April, DAP was also mentioned in this Pro Publica story on Red Cross transparency/accountability post-Sandy.

Disaster Accountability Project and Smart Response are supported by the generous donations of individuals, private foundations and corporations. Both are fully independent of the disaster relief community and aid groups do not pay for advertising or placement on our website.

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DAP saves lives and reduces suffering after disasters by improving preparedness, response and relief through citizen oversight and engagement, policy research and advocacy, and public education