The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1926-10-29
FLORIDA LEADS
RELIEF RECORDS
Heads Major Disasters of 1926.
Red Cross Active in 81
Emergencies in Year.
ALSO SERVES FOREIGN LANDS
Preparedness to Cope with Great
Disturbances Gives Good
Results in Action.

Facing one Of the largest rehabilita-
ton efforts of it's whole history, as q
result Of the Florida hurricane, the
American Red Cross already had be-
hind 1t record Of service in 81 dis
asters at home, up to the close of
the fiscal year, June 80, 1926.
When the hurricane struck Florida
with such devastation and loss Of life,
the Red Cross National Headquarters
was just congratulating itself that
year had passed without major dis
aster within the borders Of the coun-
try. The destruction in Florida has
been tentatively estimated by Direc-
tor of Disaster Relief Henry L. Baker,
of the American Red Cross, in terms
Of relief work ahead of the organiza-
ton. This takes into account all SUI
ferers who must be cared for.
Careful surveys by experienced au-
thorities place the injured at 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
jor 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, 1925, can be de-
scribed in more detail. In that catas-
trophe the final check showed 500
dead, 5000 injured and 6,S47 families
of approximately 10000 men, women
and children rendered homeless. The
final relief operations Of the Red
Cross were brought to close March
Is, 1926, exactly year from the day
the tornado struck FIVE states.
So terrible did the death and de-
strutcion impress itself on the expert
enced Red Cross forces rushed into
Florida. that Chairman John Barton
Payne did not hesitate to call for q
relief fund from the whole country of
4 $5,000,000. The Red Cross concen-
rated every resource in trained per-
Bonnel on the stricken region.
The New Jersey munitions explo-
sion, in July, while terrible as a 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 Sc injured,
and during the height of the enc.
gency fed between 700 and 500 PEG
pie driven from their homes. More
than 400 cases were registered with
the Red Cross after the explosions
for assistance in regaining their hold
on life through rehabilitation work.
This latter is regular part of the
Red Cross relief operations in all dis
asters, and means task continued
long after the country has ceased to
think Of the occurrence itself.
The year has seen new measure
Of disaster relief preparedness inau-
gurated by the Red Cross, under
which trained reserve of medical
and other relief experts is constantly
on call for. any service. This prepar-
edness justified itself in both the New
Jersey explosion, and in the Florida
hurricane. In the latter the Red Cross
had at call more than 800 experienced
disaster workers with a network of
prepared Chapters all over the coun-
try. This preparedness, constantly
demonstrated, is cited as material as.
snrance that the country Is better
protected today than ever before from
the suffering such misfortunes engen-
der.
Bad as were domestic disasters In
both the last fiscal year and recent
months, some of those abroad in the
same time have been comparable, es-
pecially food in Mexico. Altogether
the American Red Cross served in the
name of the American people in more
than Is foreign catastrophes.
The Tenth Annual Roll Call for
membership to maintain such activi-
ties will be held from November II to
20 and is an opportunity for all to
enroll themselves in the American
Red Cross.