Latino evacuee criticizes Red Cross treatment

Ana Santamaria uses just one word to describe her experience in Salt Lake City: "Horrible."

The Hurricane Katrina evacuee from Kenner, La., had come here to find relatives but instead says she slept in a car with her 11-year-old daughter and sought help at a church after a Red Cross volunteer told Santamaria she couldn't help her.

Santamaria arrived back in Birmingham, Ala., Tuesday morning after the Red Cross bought her a plane ticket Monday. While the Red Cross resolved the situation, it's the second within a week that has some in the Latino community concerned.

Mariann Geyer, chief executive officer of the Greater Salt Lake Chapter of the American Red Cross, said the Red Cross strives to treat everyone fairly and with compassion.

"I think we've worked very hard as a community to make sure everyone is taken care of," she said.

In the other case, the Red Cross had arranged a bus ticket for Miguel Cubero, who had been staying at Camp Williams, to return to New Orleans where he has a job waiting.

But then Hurricane Rita threatened the Gulf Coast and Cubero's employer told him to wait. Local Hispanic community leader Tony Yapias said the Red Cross wouldn't reschedule the ticket, so Yapias took in Cubero. The Latino community and Univision have purchased Cubero a plane ticket and he's scheduled to return home today.

"There are so many thousands of people who have helped with love and support. There's more good than bad," Yapias said. "At the same time, we can't ignore the fact that this is happening to Latinos."

Santamaria arrived here on Friday night, hoping to find relatives. She slept in a car her first night and then went to the Red Cross for help. Santamaria says a volunteer was rude to her and told her to leave. It was a clear case of discrimination, Santamaria said.

"I said, 'I need food, I need a bed.' . . . But she said, 'We cannot help you,' " Santamaria, who speaks limited English, said in Spanish.

She found help Sunday at a local church, where a parishioner took her in for the night.

Geyer met with Santamaria and Yapias, who acted as a translator, on Monday. Geyer had a translator available and also offered further assistance to Cubero if it was needed. She said she couldn't comment on Cubero's situation while at Camp Williams because she wasn't directly involved. Geyer denied any discrimination was involved in Santamaria's case, saying, "If anything, it was miscommunication."