Vashon Island news-record. [volume] (Vashon, Wash.) 1919-1954, 1921-10-14
$50 DISASTER DEATH
TOLL FOR ONE YEAR
Red Cross Gives $1,871,ooo Re-
lief When $4,000 Families
Are Made Homeless.

Forty.three disasters, resulting In
the death In the United States Of $50
persons and the injury Of $500 called
for emergency relief measures and
the expenditure Of Sl,s7l,0O by the
American Red Cross during the fiscal
year ending June 30, 1921, says an
announcement based upon the forth.
coming annual report Of the Red Cross
These disasters caused property dam.
age estimated at $3O,OOO,OO0, affected
slXty-seven communities and rendered
$1,000 families homeless
The years disasters were Of vary.
ing types, including several which pre-.
vlOusly had never been thought OF
as falling within that classified.
ton. The Red Cross furnished
relief in seventeen fires OF magnitude,
Ave floods, seven tornadOes or cy-
clones, one devastating storm, three
explosions, including the one in Wall
street; one building accident, two
typhoid cpldemics, the most serious be-
ing that at Salem, Ohio, which at.
feCted per cent Of the population;
one smallpox epidemic, In the republic
of Haiti; one train wreck, the race riot
ut Tulsa, Okla; the famine In China,
emergency relief in famine among the
Indians of Alaska. the grasshopper
plague in North Dakota and an earth.
quake In Italy.
Pueblo Most Serious
BY far the most severe Of the dis
asters in the United States during the
period covered by the Red Cross re-
port was the Pueblo flood early In
June, 1921. The rehabilitation prob.
lem confronting the Red Cross In
Pueblo was one Of the most difficult
in recent years. When the first news
of the horror was flashed throughout
the country, the American Red Cross
National Headquarters responded with
grant of $l05,00O for relief work.
Governor Shoup Of Colorado, appre;
ciating the long and successful expert
ence of the Red Cross In organizing
disaster relief work, placed the en-
tire responsibility for the admlnstra-
ton Of relief In It's hands.
In response to appeals from Pres
dent Harding, Governor Shoup and
other governors Of western states and
through local chapters of the Red
Cross and other community organiza-
tons, philosophical citizens brought
the total contributed for Pueblo's re.
Mobilization to more than SS25,0OO.
The terrible havoc wrought by the
flood waters is matter Of record.
More than $500 homes were affected
and 1851 persons were left homeless
Estimates of 100000 as an absolute
minimum for rehabilitation were made
by Red Cross officials in charge of the
relief work.
Fast Work In Wall Street
The Wall street explosion was nota-
bic in that relief workers of the Red
Cross were on the scene twenty min
utes after the disaster occurred. The
race riot at Tulsa also was unique In
disaster relief annals in that outside
Of a small emergency relief fund con
tributed by the Red Cross, the only
relief measures outside the city con
sisted of the service of social work
ers, nurses and a trained executive
whose object was to assist local forces
in directing their own efforts.
In decided contrast with the pre-.
vious year, only one tornado assumed
the proportions of a major disaster
This occurred on April Is, in the Dor
der sections of Texas and Arkansas
with the city of Texarkana as the
center. The significant feature OF this
disaster relief work was the fact that
1t covered so much rural territory as
to make necessary a large number Of
relief workers.
The famine in China, neCessitatlng
relief expenditures totalllng more than
100000 by the American Red Cross
was by far the most serious of the
foreign disasters In which the Red
Cross gave aid.
Builds Up Its Machinery
In connection with the admlnIstra.
ton Of disaster relief measures, an IN
creaslng effectiveness on the part Of
the Red Cross to deal with emergen-
cics was manifested during the past
year. In 32S Chapters of the Amerl-
can Red Cross there have been formed
special committees to survey the re.
sources Of their respective Communi-
ties and to be prepared in case Of
disaster. In others of the 3,4O2 active
Chapters, a network of communication
has been formed through which InstNn.
taneous relief may be dispatched to
any part Of the United States.
That Its work in this field may be
continued with ever greater effective.
ness, the American Red Cross Is ap.
pcallng for widespread renewal Of
membership during Its Annual Roll
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