Evening star., 1950-10-08
Use Of Libraries,
Schools Planned
ForCivi| i|Defense
Missing Persons File
And Feeding Stations
Would Be Set Up
By Miriom Ottenbero

and the schools for mass feeding
in case an atomic bomb hits
Washington will be proposed at a
District building conference this
week.
Engineer Commissioner Gordon
r. Young said yesterday he ex-
poets to set up a meeting during
the week with Public Welfare Di-
rector Gerard M Shea and other
experts to organize an emergency
welfare service.
In time of disaster, this service
would be responsible for housing
the homeless, feeding and cloth
ing those who have lost every
thing in a bombing, supervising
the refugees and generally getting
them back on their feet.
Mr.. Shea is expected to head
the emergency welfare service just
as Public Health Officer Daniel L.
Seckipger is heading the health
and medical services of civil de-
fense. 7
Number of Proposals Drafted.
Out of a series of earlier meet
ings Mr.. Shea held with feeding,
housing and other experts, a num-
ber of detailed proposals already
have been worked out, based on an
estimate of 10000 injured. home
less or displaced.
Some of the proposals Mr.. Shea
will outline at the meeting with
Gen. Young follow:
The city would be divided into
seven districts, either by police
precincts or by areas radiating
spoke-fashion from downtown.
Each would be subdivided into
three zones, the first covering the
in-town area, the second extend
ing out Is miles and the third
out so miles. Each would have
its own facilities and personnel,
so that If the first zone were hit,
the second would be able to oper-
ate independently and if both
were hit, the third would be able
TO furnish the necessary supplies
and workers.
AS for food, some form Of ra-
tioning is envisaged to insure the
most equal distribution of remain
ing supplies to those whos con-
t.nae to cook in their own homes
or in the homes of others.
Food Depots Planned.
Simple food supplies, such as
coffee, sugar, skinned or dried
milk. vegetables suitable for soups
potatoes and beans would be col
lected in central depots. These
stockpiles would be located ir
schools. warehouses, churches
theaters or similar space with sew
eral in each one. Over a period
enough would be collected to sup
ply Is per cent of the population
for a week.
From these depots, food woulc
be distributed to- those still cook.
ing at home and to mass feeding
stations. The latter would b'
located where kitchens already
exist, such as the high schools
universities and larger restau
rants. Several feeding station
would be located in each zone il
case one or more is destroyed
during the bombing and also t.
distribute the number of person
to be fed. That would avoid Ions
waiting lines of hungry people.
Clothing storage depots als'
would be set up, with the stock
increased if expected to be uset
during the winter. The clothing
either new or thoroughly reno
vated-would include particular.
shoes and coats and blankets.
Housing Plan Offered.
AS for housing the homeless
the first idea was tent cities o.
prefabricated dormitories but th'
new proposal is for the refugee
to be taken in by luckier residents
This would involve surveying th'
entire city for avilable rooms i,
private homes-a job already pro
posed for the warden service.
To make it possible for peopl
to locate their scattered loved one
as soon as possible after disaster
an information service would b.
set up.
The casualties, the homeless
and the lost would be registered
by school teachers at casualty sta
tions, hospitals, emergency hous
ing centers or billeting posts, feed
ing stations, morgues and point
of evacuation-if and when an,
evacuation takes place.
A central file, to which all regis
tration forms and inquiries Woult
be sent, would be set up. Th
Social Service Exchange of Unitet
Community Services might be tn
group responsible for this file will
additional help from experienced
file clerks such as those of busi
ness firms or the Library of Con
gress.
High Schools Would Aid.
High school cadets would serv
as messengers to rush the regis
tration forms to the central fill
SO they could be searched il
answer to inquiries as quickly a
possible.
Branch public libraries woul'
serve as information centers, t.
which anxious relatives could g
to learn the fate of their lovet
ones. These centers would b
stated by library personnel. TIL
public would be urged to go to tn
libraries to locate their missinl
rather than to hospitals ant
casualty stations, where the,
would get in the way of over
worked medical staffs.