Pueblo chieftain., 1922-01-01
THE AMERICAN RED CROSS RELIEF AND PUEB[O|

(By A. W. Jones. Jr., Director Gen
sral. Colorado Disaster Relief. Amer
can Red Cross.)
This new year sees the Colorado Dis
Rster Relief work practically com
pleted. so far as the National Red
Cross Disaster Relief Unit is concern
ed This new year also will see a
snug little amount of money left with
the Pueblo Chapter by tho National
Red Cross to carry on any unfinished
work of the retiring disaster relief
unit. Within tho last seven months
the Red Cross has expended of It's
own funds and funds trusted to its
stewa rdship. nearly $500 900, This was
known as tho Colorado Disaster Re
lief work. This work has included every
known phase of disaster relief, and
some phases unique in the history OF
the Red Cross. Tho Red Cross has
been handling disasters for So years
and at the present time the SOUTH
western Division alone, of which Colo
RADIO is part has four sttil ON Its
books. The Red Cross system of re
lief has been built up from year to
year and from disaster to disaster on
business basis upon scientitiS
methods and upon the experience OF
men and women who have been
through all forms Of catastrophies.
What is disaster relierr This ques-
INV those not in position to know by
Z statement such as giving people re-
lief so that they e-u get back on
,he!r feet again" That is the cor
rect answer and is one of the prin-
ripaI standards lsia down by the
American Red Cross in all of its, dis
sstsr relief work. Tho answer. how
ever. is SO often misunderstood, ana
people think that giving emergency re
lief is what we mean by getting people
Mck on their feet again.
Real disaster relief is not only put
ding the man back on his feet again
tsmporarily. but rehabilitaunE him
permanently. Not dollar for dollar OF
loss. but ms near 100 per cent of NE
needs as is possible with the amount
OF money available for carrying out the
project Relief work unaer the
American Red Cross IS divided into;
!. Emergency rlif.
: Tmporary rehabilitation,
/ Permanent rehabilitation.
4 Follow-up work. =,
Emergency relief, as every one well
knows, is food, shelter, raimcnt ana
pocket change. Temporary rehahihta-
ton Includes housing, getting people
toh.. bringing tho scanned Individual
back to his senses, permanent ineol-
cal care, and various other problems
which appear on the horizon or any dis
e.ter relief case.
After every disastN tire sufferers re-
mind 4 trained disaster worker of a man
who has been hit on the head with
hammer. They are absolutely stunned
have no plans that are really good ones
as is often the case, their whole idea
seems 20 be Ito get away from IL
all" This = usually the worst plan
and IS particularly had for the com
r,u1itv. We find in disaster work
that many man desert their wives i'm
rediately after n catastrophe. Unfor-
tunatsiy. this IS more often true after
the storm baby Is born. because inme-
diatelv after a disaster the storm
baby "a n problem. The man. not in
his normal mind, having lost every
thing. does not seem TO he able to
withstand the terrible depression arls-
Ing after a catastrophe. One OF the
principal Jobs Of the case worker is
20 convince the husband that to hold
his family together Is the solution OF
his problem. Tho family income which
has been cut off Is Immediately re-
established SO that the family will not
suffer while the man is making new
plans,
One Of the biggest questions o, any
disaster, large or small. IS whether
money should hN pooled into ore fund
or whether it should be expended by
various committees. The next question
Is whether q local committee should
control the fund or whether the Red
Cross National organization as an
outsider should come in and show the
community how the money can bs
expended on the most scientific lines
known. The defense Of the Red
Cross policy Is that trained workers
wholly unbiased. come into a COM
munity and disperse the funds with
less waste than a local committee can
90. When 4 local committee is formed
for disbursinE funds, politics. re-
i'Sion. friends and fc--. creep into the
game. Percentages Of disbursement
always are the principle upon which
the fund is disbursed. whereas. with
the Red Cross. percentages Is not
used except insofar as to establish the
PERSONS needs IN relation to his as.
estS II is not what a man loses, but
Whist he has left that really counts
after a disaster. For this reason many
men and families are not given any
thing under the standard OF the Red
Cross disaster relief work. because
they can pocket their losses, whereas
the man who didn't have anything. re-
ruires more to make him a self-re-
.pectirS citizen. But. one might say,
why give IT to the paurer2 Why not
help the thriftye The answer IS. sta
'istics show that many paupers come
back after disaster WREN given an
to do so.
The real question is not between the
,aupe- and the thrifty, but between
ne setr-respsctinE citizen and the man
Il means 1t Is Just Ike the family
rho lost five beds. There were only
he husband and wife and one child
rhey certainly did not need five beds
bed for each and one for company
nly made four Therefore their need