In the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy, a former Red Cross official says, as many as 40 percent of the organization’s emergency vehicles were assigned for public relations purposes. This photo, which shows one of the trucks in Long Island, N.Y., in January 2013, is one example of the many publicity photos taken by the Red Cross. (Les Stone/American Red Cross)

Two years ago today, Superstorm Sandy swept up the East Coast and slammed into New Jersey and New York City, tearing apart communities, destroying homes and killing 147 people.

In the days, weeks and months that followed, the Red Cross was at the center of the relief effort. Americans donated more than $300 million to the charity, and the Red Cross called its own response to the storm “near flawless” on national television.

But a new NPR and ProPublica investigation has uncovered serious problems with the charity’s response to the storm, and is raising questions about whether the organization’s obsession with public relations hinders its ability to help disaster victims.

Here & Now’s Robin Young talks to NPR correspondent Laura Sullivan, who reported the story in conjunction with Justin Elliott and Jesse Eisinger of ProPublica.

• Read the full investigative report via NPR

Guest

• Laura Sullivan, crime and punishment correspondent for NPR. She tweets @LauraSullivaNPR.