, 1926-11-17
FLORIDA LEADS
RELIEF RECORDS
Heads Major Disasters of 1926.
Red Cross Active in e.
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 its whole history, as a
result of the Florida hurricane. the
American Red Cross already had be
hind it a record Of service in 60 dis
asters at home, up to the close of
the fiscal year, June so, 1926.
When the hurricane struck Florida
with such devastation and loss Of life,
the Red Cross National Headquarters
Was just conGratulating itself that a
year had passed without a major dis
aster within the borders Of The cou1-
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 organlza-
ton. This takes into account all suf-
fercrs 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 Clewtston.
OF the 1909 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-
se%rvativeIy estimated at $4,000. Such
figures sketch only vaguely the human
and material problem which the
American Red Cross is still doing it's
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 e,S47 families
Of approximately 10000 men, women
n children rendered homeless. The
final relief operations of the Red
Cross were brought to a close March
\ Is, 1926, exactly a year from the day
tthe tornado struck five states.
So terrible did the death and de-
strutcion impress itself on the expert
enced Red Cross forces rushed nto
Florida that Chairman John Barton
Payne did not hesitate to call for a
relief fund from the whole country of
$4,000, 900. The Red Cross concen-
trated every esource In trained per-
sonnet on h 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 So injured.
n during the height of the emei
gency fed between 700 and 800 PEG
pie driven from their homes. More
thar 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 a regular part of the
Red Cross relief operations in all dis
asters, and means a task continued
long after the country has ceased to
think of the occurrence itself.
The year has seen a new measure
of disaster relief preparedness inau.
surated by the Red Cross, under
which a trained reserve of medical
n other relief experts is constantly
on call for n 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 q network of
prepared Chapters all over the coun-
try. This preparedness, constantly
demonstrated, is cited as material as
surance that he country 10 better
protected today than ever before from
the suffering such misfortunes engen-
der.
Bad as were domestic disasters in
both the Isl fiscal year and recent
months, some of those abroad in the
same time have been comparable. es-
pecially a flood in Mexico. Altogether
the American Red Cross served in the
name of the American people In more
than 15 foreign catastrophes.
The Tenth Annual Roll Call for
membership to maintain such activl-
ties will be held from November IL to
rs. and is an opportunity for all to
enroll themselves in the American
Rec Cross.