The Leader, enterprise and press. (Fitzgerald, Ga.) 1915-1921, 1920-12-01
VIII, WOULD YOU
DO IF DISASTER
HIT YOUR TOWN?
10000 Victims of Sudden Disaster,
Helped Last Year by
Red Cross

denly stricken by disaster?
The question is not as foolish as
it may sound to people who are living
today in safety and happiness and
who no more anticipate disaster to
morrow than they do the end of the |
world.
For no one knows when or where |
disaster will strike.
There was no warning of the San |
Francisco earthquake and fire. One |
moment the people of that mighty city /
were bustling about their business |
utterly devoid of fear or premonition;
the next their entire world was tum,
bling about their ears.
One morning two miles OF the city |
Of Atlanta, Ga, were swept by fire |
in less than fOul hours.
Wall street never expected a bomb |
explosion until it came and killed +
more than thirty people and manned |
scores Of others in less time than it ,
lakes to read this paragraph.
Even gathering storms and rising |
floods, such as tho south has known |
on its coasts and at river cities like |
West Point, Ga, give scant warning
before homes are inundated and people |
forced to flee for their lives
To any one at any time. tornado,
fire and storm may bring peril and SUI
fering. So the question is asked |
again
What would your town do tomor-
row if disaster struck"
1t is to provide an answer TO that
question that the american Red Cross
has been in existence for years and |
years. 1t is the recognized official |
agency for disaster relief and ii has
live, up to its responsibilities in a
wonderful way
That is one reason why the Red |
Cross deserves the support of every
one OIL its Fourth Roll Ct.l-to main.
tain it so that, when disaster strikes,
the stricken will always have help
ing hand to turn 10, Il lerican Red |
Cross.
The disaster relief pdrr OF the Red |
Cross organization has been 50 thor.
oughly perfected that it can answer
calls for help in the briefest possible
time.
People of the south well remember |
how promptly the Red Cross respond. |
ed to the need during the West Point |
flood last year, the Corpus Christ |
storm and several other southern dis
asters, while fresh in the memory of |
the entire country is the fact that |
first on the scene" at the Wall street |
explosion
In addition 90 furnishing such |
prompt relief as this, practically ev.
cry Red Cross chapter has per.
manent disaster relief committee.
which has made survey of resources
In their respective communities and |
Is prepared to act promptly with the
means at hand when. disaster occurs. |
Illustrative of the genuine need for |
just such preparedness as this in the |
United States Is the fact that last |
year alone, the Red Cross aided 80. |
900 persons in 1874 communities, all |
victims of 73 separate and distinct dis |
asters.
In the accomplishment of this re-
lief work lao Red Cross chapters were
called upon to assist, the sum of $780,. |
900 in cash and supplies was expend. |
ed. Thirty temporary hospitals were |
called into existence, twenty-odd mo- !
tor corps were organized, seven spe. |
cial relief trains were sent out and |
110 special representatives and nurses |
were furnished in addition to the aid |
given by the local Red Cross workers |
in the community visited by disaster |
In these 70 disasters, including 10 |
tornadoes and cyclones, hurricanes, |
cloud bursts, l hail storm, 2 earth |
quakes. l landslide. Is fires, l explo |
sion, floods, 10 shipwrecks, train |
wreck 4 riots l motor accident and |
2 droughts-S50 pei sons were killed, |
1900 were injured. 10000 (approxi |
imately) were rendered homeless |
while property valued at $5,000000 was
destroyed.
The largest and most destructive |
disaster of the year was at Corpus |
Christi, Texas, in September, 1919. |
Approximately 400 were killed and L..
900 made homeless. The Red Cross
division director with a staff of S5
assistants administered a fund of $500. |
900, giving aid to $500 families and
four towns and rural districts and SUI.
ficient supplies to each family to en-.
able IL to stand on it's feet
Because OF tornadoes, the Gulf and
Lake Divisions were called upon to
send emergency relief with trained
workers to nearly so communities. The
two droughts in Montana and North
Dakota gave abundant opportunity for
trained workers from the Northern Di.
vision to help the Red Cross chapters
demonstrate their usefulness, while
number of shipwrecks proved the read.
mess OF the Atlantic Division and the
New York Metropolitan Area Commit,
tee to assist in that line of work
The record of last year emphasizes
the need of abundant preparedness
along the line of disaster relief. and
has resulted in the organization OF
Disaster Preparedness Committees by
about 400 chapters and the setting
aside of special emergency fund by
the National organization OF $4,000,
900 in addition to the regular annual
appropriation for this purpose mad,
in its budget.
Winged Expresses.
RlqHa FnQk niua1re a.. IN