The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1920-11-20
WHAT WOULD YOU
DO IF DISASTER
HIT YOUR TOWN?
10000 Victims of Sudden Disasters
Helped Last Year by
Red Cross

Atlanta, Ga, Nov-What would
your town do tomorrow, were it sud
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 viii 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, Ca, we're swept by fire
in less than four 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 ii
takes to read this paragraph.
Even gathering storms and rising
floods, such as the south has known
on its coasts and at river cities like
West Point, Ca, 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 IL disaster struck"
1t is to provide an answer to tina
question that the American Red Gross
has been In existence for years an.
years. 1t IL the recognised officia
agency for disaster relief, and it ha
lived mp to its responsibilities in
wonderful way.
That Ii one reason why the Rel
| Cross deserves the support Of every
one on its Fourth Roll Call--to mair
tain 1t 30 that, when disaster strikes
| the stricken win always have help
! ing hand to turn to. the American Re-
Cross.
The disaster relief part Of the Re.
Cross organization has been so thor
oughly perfected that It can answe
calls for help In the briefest possibl
| time.
! People of the south well remembe
how promptly the Red Cross respond
ed to the need during the West Poin
flood last year, the Corpus Christ
storm and several other southern dis
/ asters, while fresh in the memory O
the entire country is the fact tina
/ Red Cross doctors and nurses wer
first on the scene" at the Wall stree
explosion.
In addition to furnishing sucl
prompt relief as this, practically ey
cry Red Cross chapter has a pei
manent disaster relief committee
which has made survey of resource
in their respective communities ant
| is prepared to act promptly with tn
means at hand when disaster occurs
Illustrative of the genuine need TO
| lust such preparedness as this in tn
/. United States IS the fact that, las
year alone, tae Red Cross aided Sc
| 900 persons in 164 communities. al
victims of 70 separate and distinct dis
| listers.
1 In the accomplishment of this re
lief work 40 Red Cross chapters wer
called upon to assist, the sum Of $500
900 in cash and supplies was expend
ed. Thirty temporary hospitals wer
called into existence, twenty-odd mc
tor corps were organized. seven spe
ciaI relief trains were sent out an
10 special representatives and nurse
/ were furnished in addition to the ali
given by the local Red Cross worker
in the community visited by disaster
In these 70 disasters, including /
| tornadoes and cyclones. 2 hurricanes
/ cloud bursts, / han storm. earth
/ quakes, 1 landslide, Is fires. 1 explc
sion, 9 floods, 10 shipwrecks. trail
i wreck, riots, 1 motor accident an
droughts-850 persons were killed
1,500 were injured, 1900 approx
imateIyl were rendered homeless
while property valued at $4,000, 900 wa
destroyed.
/ The largest and most destructiv
disaster Of. the year was AZ CorDu