re: Gatlinburg, TN suffers severe wildfire damage; 13 people confirmed dead

red cross is pretty shitty. They want money to buy items from their approved vendors, who then charge inflated prices and get tax write offs. It happened in the Louisiana floods a few months back.
I will never donate to them again. Churches usually do a much better job, and I try and find a local large congregation and donate directly to them.
Red Cross will use or forward donations they do not want. They also will throw away clothes and blankets as they say they cannot wash them, but I'm sure people with no clothes or blankets would rather decide themselves what to take, rather than let red cross do it. Red Cross used to be a great charity. It isn't anymore.