Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1926-10-27
FLORIDA ':EADs
RELIEF RECORDS
Heads Major Disasters OF 1925.
Red Cross Active In 81
Emergencies IN Year.
ALSO SERVES FOREIGN LANDS
Preparedness to Cope with Great
Disturbances Gives Good
Results in Action.
ALSO SERVES FOREIGN LANDS

Facing one Of the largest rehabilita-
ton efforts Of its whole history, as
result Of the Florida hurricane, the
American Red Cross already had be-
hind It . record Of service IN u DIS
asters At home, up to the close OF
the fiscal year, June 30, 1925.
When the hurricane struck Florida
with such devastation and loss OF life,
the Red Cross National Headquarters
was lust congratulating itself that
year had passed without major dn-
aster within the borders OF the coun-
try. The destruction in Florida has
been tentatively estimated by Direo-
tor of Disaster Relief Henry L. Baker,
of the American Red Cross, In terms
of relief work ahead Of the organiza-
tion. This takes into account all SUI
ferers who must be cared for.
Careful surveys by experienced au-
thor1ties place the injured 1t 1000,
exclusive OF the stricken Gulf Coast
cities Of Moorehaven and Clewiston.
OF the 1900 injured sent to Miami
hospitals, 500 were suffering with ma
for fractures. In two other east coast
communities the injured numbered
nearly 1000. The homeless were con-
servatively estimated at $4,000. Such
figures sketch only vaguely the human
and material problem which the
American Red Cross IS still doing its
utmost to solve.
For comparison the other outstand-
ing recent disaster, the Midwest tor
nado OF March IS, 1928, can Be de-
scribed in more detail. In that catas-
trophe the Anal check showed 500
dead, 1000 injured and e,s47 families
OF approximately 10000 men. women
and children rendered homeless. The
final relief operations Of the Red
Cross were brought 10 q close March
IS. 1896, exactly year from the day
the tornado struck I'VE states.
So terrible did the death and d.
strutcion impress itself on the expert
enced Red Cross forces rushed into
Florida that Chairman John Barton
Payne did not hesitate 10 call for .
relief fund from the whole country Of
$1,000 900. The Red Cross concen-
trated every resource IN trained per
sonnet on the stricken region.
The New Jersey munitions sxplo-
sion, in July while terrible a. 4 spec
tacle, could not compare with either
Of these other two disasters in final
destructiveness. 1t gave the Red Cross
an opportunity for service in which
Red Cross nurses treated IS injured.
and during the height OF the enc,
sency fed between 700 and 800 PEG
pie driven from their homes. More
than 400 cases were registered with
the Red Cross after the explosions
for assistance In resainang their hold
on life through rehabilitation work.
This latter - = regular part OF the
Red Cross relief operations In al dis
asters, and means = task continued
long after the country Aas ceased 10
think Of the occurrence itself.
The year has seen new measure
Of disaster relief preparedness inau'
gurated by the Red Cross, under
. which q trained reserve Of medical
and other relief experts - constantly
on call for any service. This prepar-
edness justified itssk IN both tie New
Jsrosy explosion. and n he TloriAa
hurricane. In the laktse - 1AA CHsrs