The Wrangell sentinel., 1928-11-29
HALF MILLION PEOPLE
 AIDED BY RED CROSS
 IN HURRICANE RELIEF
Porto Rico and Florida Victims Helped by Prompt Action; S5,000,000 Given By
 Public.

One of the greatest disasters, in point of loss of life and devastation of homes, in which the American Red Cross has ever carried relief was the West Indies hurricane of September last, which swept across Porto Rico, parts of the Virgin Islands. the coast of Florida and north to end iu tor rential rains, flooding streams in a half dozen states. The known dead in all of the areas affected was 2,259 although it was admitted that the complete total of dead in Florida would never be known. The number of injured was estimated at 3,170. Approximately 10000 buildings were destroyed and damaged.
 At the height of the emergency the Red Cross was caring for 5O6,410 people-that is, feeding and clothing them and arranging for whatever shelter was obtainable. As long as three weeks after the hurricane struck Porto Rico and Florida, the Red Cross was aiding 20,236 people who were sick, of these 236 were in Florida and the remainder in Porto Rico, where influenza and malaria were being treated to prevent epi- denies of more drastic diseases. Large numbers of Red Cross nurses off I,Af
 In Florida more than 1000 per- sons applied to Red Cross for assist ance, and a great number of people in Florida and also in Porto Rico still were being cared for in the matter of food, clothing and shelter as long as two months after the hurricane, while they awaited maturing crops which would enable them to again become self sustaining.
 For this relief task, the American public gave the American Red Cross fund of s5,000, 0,00O-the sum set forth in a proclamation issued by President Coolidge a few days after news of the hurricane was received.
 The relief given by the Red Cross in this great emergency, spread over such wide territory of sea and land, was everywhere commended and es- pecial emphasis was placed upon the promptness with which the organiza- ton responded. The hurricane struck Porto Rico September 13, and the first brief cabled word of it came September A, to both Red Cross and the news agencies. Before nightfall, the national director of disaster re- lief for the Red Cross and a staff of four trained men had left Washing ton for Charleston, South Carolina, to board navy destroyer which upon instruction of the President of the United States had been placed at command of the Red Cross by the Secretary of the Navy. And although the next day was Sunday a Red Cross man arrived in New York to purchase
 
 Ricans, already reported to be starv- ing, and the Navy again placed a ship for the cargo at Red Cross con- mand.
 Late on Saturday evening there came another cable-a Red Cross nurse at St. Croix, in the Virgin Is- lands. addressed a plea to the mother organization in Washington and gave first warning of the plight of the people on the American posses sion, where no family in a popula- tion of 11,000 had escaped injury.
 In the meantime the Red Cross had notified it's Florida Chapters that it stood ready for any service, in event the hurricane, headed toward them, did any damage. Not content with this, the Red Cross on Sunday night entrained a disaster relief director and six workers for Florida.
 Money, food, clothing, were dis patched immediately to both points and before the end of the week the Red Cross was feeding a half mill lion people.
 This prompt response was made possible by the disaster relief organi- zation the Red Cross has brought to- gether and trained through a series of such national calamities.
 Support of this work is through the annual Roll Call for membership. The goal in the twelfth annual Roll Call is 5.OOO,O0O members.
 EVIDENCES OF EARLY