CHARITIES MILK DISASTERS FOR EVERY DOLLAR.

Byline: Richard M. Walden

DESPITE years of ``best practices'' conferences dissecting what can go wrong with global disaster relief efforts, history is repeating itself in Central America. The response of charity groups to Hurricane Mitch reminds me of what happened after Florida's Hurricane Andrew in 1992 and the Armenian earthquake of 1988.

Those disasters generated outpourings of compassion, and relief agencies raised tens of millions of dollars that were put to good use.

In addition, thousands of tons of food from family pantries, used clothing and medications of all types were collected by ad hoc groups and sent to disaster sites. But most of this was of little use to the victims; much was sold off by the local governments to other countries - ``monetized'' is the new euphemism in the relief community - or found its way onto the black market.

Why?

Charities are good at using the news media to generate compassion. The problem is that relief networks can be clogged with both necessary and inappropriate supplies.

Does anyone really think soft drinks, chocolate bars, outdated pharmaceuticals and used T-shirts are high on the victims' lists of urgently needed supplies? Bags and bags of such things show up at disaster sites, usually accompanied by the crowing of donor groups - which often wildly inflate the dollar value of their deliveries. (To its credit, the U.S. government won't provide transportation or financing for such efforts.)

The early response in the Los Angeles area to Hurricane Mitch has followed the usual pattern. It began with well-meaning but unfocused appeals by the consulates of Nicaragua and Honduras for clothing, food and medications. Churches, nonprofit groups, businesses and even the California Highway Patrol joined in.

A mountain of supplies was collected. To move just a tiny fraction of it, money was raised to charter a cargo plane. But no one involved had done this before, and the charter company was able to charge twice as much as it had received from relief agencies for the same plane in the past. Now the inexperienced organizers are clamoring for even more money, as well as government support. The goods will be flown into areas where most roads and warehouses have been wiped out. Much of the material will probably be sold off or thrown away.

The Honduran and Nicaraguan governments have put together a list of what is needed: appropriate medications like antibiotics and anti-diarrhea drugs, medical equipment, bulk foods common to local diets, water purification equipment, new bedding, portable energy equipment, building materials and farm machinery. Little of it is likely to come from the ``garage sale'' donations of well-meaning American families.

Give to established groups

Giving money to the big charities and well-organized smaller agencies is far more helpful. But donors should know that their gifts may not be used quickly to help victims. Most large nonprofits are likely to collect vastly more this month than they will be able to spend on immediate efforts in Nicaragua and Honduras. Their Central American affiliates are for the most part too small to absorb so much money. Some big charities like the Red Cross have policies that prohibit them from sharing donations with smaller relief agencies, many of which have been setting up good supply and health networks in Central America for years.

Elizabeth Dole, president of the American Red Cross, said her organization was allocating $6 million to Hurricane Mitch. But given the tremendous fund-raising efforts this week, this seems a small amount for a group that said it spent $100 million after last month's Hurricane Georges. If the problem is that its Central American programs can absorb only $6 million, it should share some of its money with other groups.

In a month or two, public attention will have moved on to the next disaster. Too few of the experienced groups staying behind in Central America will have the money and materials to help the long-term recovery effort. But you can be sure that the charity groups will add the tragedy of Hurricane Mitch to the list of successful fund-raising campaigns.