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Show SERVICE IN PEACE AND WAR Disaster Relief Work by American Red Cross Swiftly Brings Nationwide Resources to Aid Of Areas Stricken by Fire, Flood or Winds By General George C. Marshall I BELIEVE the disaster relief work of the Red Cross is more appreciated and better understood than any other service it renders. Its resources, nationwide, can be quickly brought to the aid of stricken communities. These re- necessary, with lem; grant from the national disaster relief re-lief appropriation. But when a chapter finds it-self it-self confronted by a major disaster, dis-aster, a countrywide concentration concen-tration of resources Is the order or-der of the day. First the local officials notify one of the four area administrative headquarters headquar-ters in Alexandria, Va., Atlanta, Atlan-ta, Ga., St. Louis, Mo., and San Francisco, Calif. If the area office finds that the problem is beyond its facilities, it calls upon national headquarters, which brines to bear the resources of the other areas. There are three resources that must quickly be put into action. First, if the chapter in the disaster region lacks funds, the word is flashed to national headquarters sources are not : solely to funds and trained workers work-ers but also in the organization's facility for mobilizing mobil-izing the sympathy sym-pathy of the nation na-tion when situations situa-tions require it and converting it ha t sympathy i In At i j .I , ' Ik : 1 1 y?:s"n v-' into m a i e r i o MARSHALL help. The ability to rush aid wherever needed is one of the greatest assets as-sets of the American National Red Cross. The instant a disaster occurs the Red Cross gets into action not only from outside the disaster area, but also within the community commu-nity affected where the local chapter chap-ter disaster preparedness plan functions func-tions instantly. The impulse to help someone some-one in distress is a very human hu-man reaction. It inspires the staff personnel and the thousands thou-sands of volunteers who give their time and talents to the Red Cross. Their effectiveness lies In providing prompt relief and results from the organization's organiza-tion's network of 3,745 chapters and 4,668 branches in the United States, its territories and insular in-sular possessions. There are only a few county seats in the United States without an active chapter. There is scarcely scarce-ly a town in the country which does not have an active branch. There are three distinct phases of every Red Cross disaster operation. opera-tion. They are preparedness for the disaster; emergency relief for the victims in the form of food, clothing, cloth-ing, shelter and medical care; and rehabilitation afterwards for those who cannot finance their own recovery. re-covery. This last is the least understood under-stood and frequently the most important. im-portant. Preparedness means that the local lo-cal chapter has a disaster committee commit-tee which has planned for fast action ac-tion whenever and wherever trouble hits. It means that the local chapter has understandings with the police, fire and health departments, with SOLICITUDE . . . Red Cross disaster worker Carl Meyers has mealtime chat with Kenneth, Ken-neth, Billie Jean and Judy Ann Lunceford of Hornersvllle, Mo., who were among the scores of children with their families who sought shelter during the threatened flooding ' of the Birds Point New Madrid flood-way flood-way last January. which authorizes an immediate grant or allotment so the chapter can carry on without delay. Or perhaps the chapter is small and needs experienced help. The area office will send workers from its regular staff and if more are needed it will recruit and assign trained workers from its list of disaster resources. Then there is the matter of supplies. sup-plies. Drugs, whole blood plasma and the like are brought in from the closest sources. Food, clothing, and essential furniture are procured, pro-cured, locally if possible. And when tf.J j.AL. -.j adcutional shelter is needed, tents and cots are borrowed from the national guard or the United States military establishment. A good example of disaster relief was demonstrated recently recent-ly when a . typhoon struck Guam. The chapter there, headed by Gov. Carlton Skinner, Skin-ner, had $38,000 which could be used for emergency. The committee com-mittee moved in fast, securing food, clothing, and medical care for the victims. Because the crops were destroyed, supplies of food were shipped or flown into the island. Rehabilitation Rehabilita-tion started as soon as the high winds permitted. This is just one of the numerous disasters that the Red Cross has dealt with during the brief period of my association with the organization. organ-ization. More recently, the organization organ-ization has been called upon for help in relieving Midwest flood sufferers suf-ferers and the victims of winter storms in the Far West. In the finest sense, this service exemplifies the time-honored American Amer-ican tradition of neighbor helping neighbor. The Red Cross merely promotes and implements the neighborly spirit. A Free-Moving Group Many duties of the Red Cross involve in-volve emergency operations, often on a very large scale. In addition to local service by the chapters, Red Cross activities are both national na-tional and international. You can see that the Red Cross must always be free to mobilize and expand its services to meet situations as they arise. It must be able to concen-trate concen-trate its whole strength on the re-uei re-uei of a stricken community or meet the huge demands of a national na-tional emergency. No one can foresee fore-see exactly what burdens the Red sum mauy be caUed uPn t assume as-sume each year. It therefore should be apparent aIT . ,orSanization cannot well bmtvt ltSnd raisln rP"si-bHity rP"si-bHity to another agency. Nor can it 2" alliance wWcn might hinder its freedom or capacity ca-pacity to meet its national and ternational responsibility. NEWS TICKER . . . The Red Cross telecommunications system sys-tem plays an especially important impor-tant role during disasters when messages must be received quickly from stricken areas. Here, General Marshall looks over the telecommunications room at the Chicago chapter with Mrs. Mary C. Mullen, central states superintendent of the system. veterans' organizations and other groups as to the roles each will play. It means that the committee knows where it can get critically needed supplies in a hurry. It means that the disaster committee has arranged with local radio operators op-erators to swing into action if the regular lines of communication are wiped out. In most sizeable disasters, dis-asters, these "hams" have proved invaluable. One reason for the effectiveness of the Red Cross work is that it can provide without delay funds to carry out relief and rehabilitation. That is why in its current budget there is earmarked $5,000,000 for these purposes, in addition to a reserve re-serve fund of $7,000,000 kept on hand. thS t' f Ven,4 ,f min0r disast. that is, tavolving . few famUles the disaster chairman of the chap! ter and his committee handle the situation with local funds or, I : |