The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1920-11-08
WHAT WOULD YOU
DO IF DISASTER
HIT YOUR Town?
$4,000 Victims of Sudden Disaster!
Helped Last Year by
Red Cross

your COWn uO lOIuOTTOW, WeIe IL ouu
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, Ca, were swept by fire
in less than four hours.
Wall street never expected bomb
explosion until it came and killed
more than thirty people and manned
scores Of others In less time than 1t
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 suf'
fering. So the question is asked
again:
What would your town do tomor-
row If disaster struck?
It is to provide an answer to that
question that the American Red Cross
has been in existence for years and
years. It is the recognized official
agency for disaster relief. and 1t has
lived up to its responsibilities In a
wonderful way.
That Is one reason why the Red
Cross deserves the support Of every.
one OF it's Fourth Roll Ca,l-to main
tain 1t so that, when disaster strikes,
the stricken will always have q help
ing hand to turn to, the American Red
Cross.
The disaster relief part Of the Red
Cross organization has been 80 thor
oughly perfected that. it can answer
calls for help In the briefest possible
time.
People of the south we'll remember
how promptly the Red Cross respond
ed to the need during the West Point
flood last year, the Corpus Christi
storm and several other southern dis.
asters, while fresh in the memory OF
the entire country is the fact that
Red Cross doctors and nurses were
First on the scene" at the Wall street
explosion.
In addition to furnishing such
prompt relief as this, practically ev-
cry Red Cross chapter has q per-
manent disaster relief committee,
which has made a 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
lust such preparedness as this In the
United States Is the fact that, last
year alone, the Red Cross aided &c..
600 persons In 164 communities. all
victims of 73 separate and distinct DIS
asters.
In the accomplishment Of this re-
lief work 140 Red Cross chapters were
called upon to assist, the sum OF $780,
900 in cash and supplies was e1pend-
ed. Thirty temporary hospitals were
called into existence, twenty-odd mo-
tor CORDS were organized, seven spe-
cial relief trains were sent out and
10 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 73 disasters, including 10
tornadoes and cyclones, 2 hurricanes,
2 cloud bursts, hail storm, earth
ouakes, landslide, 15 fires, e1plo-
sion. 9 floods, 10 shipwrecks, 1 train
wreck, 4 riots, motor accident and
2 droughts-S5O persons were killed,
1900 were injured, $4,000 (appro1i-
imately) were rendered homeless
while property valued at $5,ooo,o0o was
destroyed.
The largest and most destructive
disaster of the year was at Corpus
Christi, Texas, in September, 1913.
approximately 400 were killed and f.
900 made homeless. The Red Cross
division director with a staff OF 35
assistants administered fund Of $780,
900, giving aid to $500 families and
four towns and rural districts and suf-
ficient supplies to each family to en-
able It to stand on its feet.
Because of tornadoes, the Gulf and
Lake Divisions were called upon to
send emergency relief with trained
workers to nearly 80 communities. The
two droughts in Montana and North
Dakota gave abundant opportunity for
trained workers from the Northern d.
vision to help the Red Cross chapters
A-.H n