The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1929-04-04
RED CROSS CHAPTERS
STRENGTHEN LINES
OF DISASTER RELIEF
Launch National Campaign to
Perfect Preparedness Plans
in Every Community.

A nationwide campaign to
strengthen plans for preparedness
against disaster and for emergency
relief has been launched by the
American Red Cross through its
Chapters. The program is intended
to perfect disaster preparedness
committees in the ten thousand
communities reached by Red Cross
Chapters and their branches.
When carried out, through COM
mittees of men and women in the
communities, it will insure that
should disaster come, an organiza-
ton for emergency relief, including
every modern method science has
perfected-such as the radio, the
airplane, the motor car and water
craft-can be modified to bring as
sistance, with the promptitude ap-
piled by the Red Cross in recent
major disasters, such as the West
Indies hurricane and the Mississ-
ippi Valley flood.
These enlarged and strengthened
plans for disaster relief are set
forth in the revised Red Cross
manual, when Disaster Strikes"
which has been placed in the hands
of every Red Cross chairman
throughout the nation. The plan
to encourage adoption of these add
ed disaster preparedness methods
was begun at this time because
Red Cross notwithstanding AZ
years of disaster relief-show that
the period of the greatest number
Of disasters, large and small,
ranges from the early Spring
through the early Fall.
The Record Of 40 Years
An historical summary Of Red
Cross disaster relief, since 1882,
shows that the society was active
in giving relief in 938 domestic dis
asters and it's expenditures in those
relief operations were $49,594, 600.
The three groups of calamities ap-
pearing most frequently were: cy-
clones, tornadoes, hurricanes and
other storms, 231: fires, 131: floods,
126.
During this period, the Red Cross
also has given assistance to dis
tressed peoples Of other countries
in 153 disasters. Total expenditures
for relief at home and throughout
the world, in 4S years, amount to
$77,S54,O
In four recent major disasters
Red Cross expenditures for relief
totaled $29,1SS,90S. Only in the
event of large disasters such as the
Florida hurricane of 1926, the Mis-
sissippi Valley and New England
floods of 1927, and the West Indies
hurricane Of 1928, does the Red
Cross seek contributions from the
general public for relief work; and
frequently these are not ample, as
in the four disasters listed, the
Red Cross donated $1,338,201 from
its own treasury. In small disas-
tiers, the cost of relief Is met large
ly from Red Cross resources.
No Community Immune
No community is immune to
great disasters of one type or an
other, the manual shows. One pre-
paredness measure that can be
adopted is a survey of the sur
rounding country, with the assist
ance of engineers and other ex-
perts, to determine the type of dis
aster to which the section is subject.
Extension of existing disaster or
CARNATIONS in communities, and
organization of men and women,
trained in public health and COM
munity service, will result in the
, saving of lives and the prevention
Of extensive suffering, through pri-
walton, epidemic and other misfor-
tune, should emergency arise. These
organization plans, outlined in the
manual, are similar to those now
existing in most Red Cross Chap
ters, only strengthened in some
particulars.
Coordination of all of the socie-
ties, organized groups and institu.
lions in the locality is urged, so
that all effort for emergency relief
will be directed without conflict.
Trained in advance, these commit
tees can swing into action, and
provide an orderly and systematic
relief organization, functioning ef-
nciently from the beginning.
When a hurricane blows out OF
the sea, a cyclone rushes across
prosperous communities, or a con-
fiagration destroys a great area
these are occasions upon which the
Red Cross Chapters and branches
should be prepared with trained
personnel and proper supplies to
respond. Every resource OF the
national organization also is ct
their command.