Mountain Home Republican. [volume] (Mountain Home, Idaho) 1915-1946, 1925-10-23
RED CROSS YEAR
A RELIEF RECORD
Huue Relief Work After Midwest
Tornado the Greatest in
American Annals.
DISASTERS DROP IN 1925
RANGED From Fire to Earthquake
and Covered Wide Area at
Home and Abroad.

peace-t1me PROJECT OF pOSlulsdStSi ~
habilitation ever known has been &C
complished by the American Re-
Cross In less than year, as par
OF its relief work in the more thar
80 disasters in which 1t served in th'
past year.
This great program was undertaken
following the tornado which strucl
Ave mid-western States last spring
killing 796 people, injuring 1928 more
and causing inestimable property loss
1t left a huge area of devastation II
its wake, presenting a real problem
The Red Cross, however. went to
work on the heels of the storm, car
ing for the injured. sheltering and
feeding whole communities, and help
ing every individual sufferer from the
destruction back to normal
The magnitude of the problem Is in
dicated by comparison of its huge cas-
ualty list with that of the entire pre-
ceding year, whose combined losses
were 73s dead and not quite 1000 in
fured, as a result of the record NUM-
Der of 1872 catastrophies.
The story of the Red Cross service
in the past year, recouRted by the re
port, ranges from fires heading the list
of destructive forces with 29 disasters
TO mine explosions, tornadoes, ty-
phoons, floods and earthquakes.
The Santa Barbara earthquake was
among the outstanding events record
ed In the report. The Red Cross had
completed its relief organization on
the scene within few hours of the
disaster, and In addition had launched
a program designed to permanently
restore every person affected by It,
to his former status once more.
The Red Cross service in the period
following the wreck OF the Navy air
ship Shenandoah" was typical Of its
promptness and effectiveness. Serv-
ice In this instance was afforded by
Red Cross chapters In the vicinity Of
the wreck, and by representatives OF
the national organization. 1t demon
strates graphically the value of each
Of the more than 5000 chapters OF
the society which are at work in vir-
tually every part of the country, in
the facility they AFFORD the national
organization in emergencies.
There were 81 domestic disaster OBJ
erations reported in which the Red
Cross rendered service either through
chapter or national staff personnel
during the year. In "a OF these the
national organization appropriated a
total Of IS, 047, 256.4 the greater por-
ton OF which was received as direct
contributions for the relief of speci-
ned disasters The relief operations
following bhe northern Ohio tornado |
OF June, 1924. were brought to a close |
tn May, 1925, after an arrangement |
had been made with the Lorain chap
ter to provide expert services to the |
families of any tornado sufferers who |
required such assistance In the next |
two years. In this single disaster the
relief work, as finally accounted, |
reached total of s1.01s,75123.
The mid-western tornado of this
year, covering a strip OF territory 400
miles long involved an expenditure
mp TO June 80 of S774,OOO. while the
total amount turned in to the fund
through the agency OF the Red Cross
was $2,645,00O In addition to this
gum specifically collected for the pur
pose, the Red Cross had expended
rom its regular reserves $4,000
In all these disasters, Red Cross
workers have been impressed by the
spirit of determination and hopeful
iess shown by the people. Once they
recovered from their grief and Devil
ierment, they began at once to re-
ouild, materially and otherwise, and
always on a better scale where posi-
ale. Another significant feature OF
hese occurrences, as noted in the re
,ort OF the Red Cross, was the prompt
less with which the local chapters
emergency relief before
lelp could be received from outside
ources- A direct effect of their ex-
mple has been to stimulate disaster
elief preparedness among chapters
II over the country.
The services OF the American Red
ross are performed invariably in the
anne of the American people. On the
OF this representation
uring the past year, It will launch
he ninth annual roll call this year
n November II, to continue until
November %, during
Ihich support through membership
III be invited for 1925.