Middletown transcript., 1919-10-25
RED CROSS TO
FURNISH Relief
Preparations For Disaster Aid
M I Gigantic Scale
Nov Being Mads
NATIONS WEALTH AVAILABLE

New Plan 10 Part Of the Peace Pro.
gram and No Disaster 10 Too Big
For Il to Handle Efficiently.
Preparedness for disaster relief
on a scale never before possible is
being undertaken by the American
Red Cross, as one Of the important
features Of its peace program, for
the support Of which an effort will be
made to secure record membership
during the Third Red Cross roll call,
November 2 to IL
A Friehtfui Record.
Because of the lack of the spec
tacu1ar in many Of them, 1t is not
generally realized how frequently
disasters occur, bringing death and
suffering in their wake. Since 1900,
disasters of peace have cost thousands
Of lives and have brought personal
injury and property losses to no
fewer than 100000 persons, at the
same time destroying property valued
at over $1,0OO,O00,000.
During 1917 alone, eighty disasters
came to the attention Of the American
Red Cross; sixty-two t0rnadOes, five
foods, four great fires, two earth
quakes, two serious mine explosions,
two munition plant explosions, race
riot, shipwreck and the tragic ca
lamity which befell Halifax. The to-
tai Of deaths entailed was 1853, while
1927 were injured and the property
loss reached $11O,OOO,OOO.
Under its direction the entire re-
sources OF all communities for emer
gency relief will be modified for in
stant use when needed. Red Gross
chapters everywhere will create Dis
aster Preparedness Committees tha;
will make surveys locating not only
emergency food supplies, drugs and
other hospital supplies, cots, mattress
es, blankets, clothing, schools, ar
mories and other buildings for housing
f0fugees, but also will canvass physi-
clans, nurses, social workers and
others prepared to respond instantly
to calls for their services in disasters.
Relief Supply csnters.
Information gathered in these sur
veys will be filed by the thirteen Red
Cross Divisional organizations in the
United States, which will establish
disaster relief supply centers and
take charge Of operations when assist
ance is needed. In the case Of major
disasters, where the resources Of the
division in which it occurs are over
taxed, the entire relief strength of the
Red Cross in the country may be mo-
bilized, through National HeadQuar-
ters. And there will also be ready
for immediate relief duty the equip.
ment and personnel Of the fifty base
hospitals organized by the American
Red Cross and turned over to the
army for service in France
For the guidance of it's represen-
tatives at the scene Of disasters a
comprehensive Relief Manual has
been compiled by ]. Byron Deacon,
director general Of the American Red
Cross Department Of Civilian Relief,
who is charged with responsibility for
Red Cross funds and operations in
disasters. The Manual calls attention
to the frequency Of disasters and
urges that relief to be effective must
be swift and centralized.
The local community, so far as pos
sible is depended upon to provide its
own relief, with the Division and Ma
tional Red Cross organizations stand
ing ready to rush additional aid where
it is necessary. The extensive and
varied experience Of the Red Cross
places it in peculiarly effective po.
sition to offer sound counsel. 1t has
built up a trained and seasoned staff
of relief workers and each Division
Office will have it's list of experienced
disaster workers under agreement to
70, at q moments notice, to any
stricken territory.
The Red Cross IL thus planning to
put disaster relief on such sound
basis that it will become in the fullest
sense, nationwide in scope, and will
assure a swifter mobilization and ap-
plication of whatever may be needed
. after calamities, no matter what their
size or where they occur.
RED CROSS PHOTOGRAPHS
GRAVES OF OUR HEROES
Of the $50 American aviators whit
lost their lives in battle, the grave.
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