Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-06-05
RED CROSS BUSHES
HELP TO KENTUCKY
Storm and Flood Leave Many
Thousands HomeIeSS-Re-
ports Are Delayed.
Dy the Associated Press.

Ilv the Associated fTeSS.
LOUISVILLE, June Bread cast
upon the waters came back today to
eactern Kentucky. Designated by
Gov. William ]. Fields to take charge
of the relief and reha biltation of the
kentucky storm area, the National
American Red Cross was marshaling
rs forces throughout the State and
lurhinS it's way slowly but surely up
the valleys of the Kentucky, Big San
DIV and Licking Rivers. carrying sue
cor and cheer to homeless thousands
who so recently were contributing of
their own means to the sufferers of
the greater Mississippi Valley flood.
Meanwhile, communication lines,
broken during the cloudburSt of Sun
day night. were being re-established
to bring into headquarters belated re.
ports Of the devastation wrought
throughout the whole eastern end of
the State by raging mountain streams
that raced through narrow valleys in
the dead of the night, sweeping all be-
fore them.
Latest estimates show that 125, 900
people, one-Sixth the total numbers
who felt the heavy hand of the Father
OF Waters in the Mississippi Valley,
were affected by the storm and the
flood that followed. Eighty.nine known
deaths have been reported and upward
! of 10000 men have been thrown out of
employment. Many more are home
less.
Sends Relief Trains.
To meet this situation the Red
Cross already has sent relief trains
, and workers into the area and is con-
Quoting a Statewide campaign for
funds. No definite goal has been set
in the drive for funds, but Lewis II.
Fitzpatrick, National Red Cross disas-
ter director, estimated the property
damage at $25, 900. 900. The Louisville
Chapter of the Red Cross has set its
own goal at $4,000. and the rest of
the State will be asked to contribute
no less g. sum.
Fresh from the Mississippi flood
area, where he had charge of relief
work in Kentucky and Tennessee, Mr..
Fitzpatrick has established his head
quarters here. with distribution GEN.
ters at Lexington and Ashland, which
will be the contact points for the Ken
lucky and Big Sandy Valleys.
Most of those who lost their lives
were drowned when they were unable
to get out of the path of the great
wall of water, which in some instances
was reported to be rs feet high.
Isolated From World.
: Normally inaccessible at the best, a
great area, whose chief made of travel
is a-muleback, became isolated from
the world. Mining and lumber camps
and villages that dotted the noun
tainsideS became centers of distress
and suffering. Roadways built along
the narrow creek valleys became i'm.
passable, and railroad lines were
washed out.
For days the extent of the disaster
was not known to the outside world.
Word from RoXana and Elsiecoal
told Of the pitiful conditions there
Children, scantily clad, searched
through the deep deposit of mud and
debris for lost clothing, while parents
dug into the mud banks to recover
household furnishings that they might
re-establish their homes.
Town Is Inundated.
Hazard reported today that the dam
aEe there alone would reach 81 ,000, 900.
Flood waters there inundated the town
to a depth of many feet. In the rail.
road station the water was reported
up to the ticket windows.
Throughout the storm area dead
poultry and cattle were reported lying
about the open spaces.
To prevent the spread of disease the
State Board of Health has taken. over
direction of the sanitary and health
conditions DIR. A. T. Mccormick is
in charge Of this work. Appointed by
Gov. Fields as chairman of special
committee to cooperate with the Red
Cross, he has dispatched nurses and
doctors to the district TO direct disease
prevention.