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THE SURVEY

Volume XXX, Number 1, Apr 5, 1913




THE COMMON WELFARE


RESPONSE TO FLOOD CALLS

For the first time in the history of our great disasters, the country's
machinery for relief has been found ready to move with that precision
and efficiency which only careful previous organization could make
possible. In the flood and tornado stricken regions of the Mississippi
valley the Red Cross has given splendid evidence of the effectiveness of
its scheme of organization and of its methods as worked out on the basis
of experience at San Francisco, and as tested by the Minnesota and
Michigan forest fires, the Cherry mine disaster, and the Mississippi
Floods of last year.

Utilizing the largest and ablest charity organization societies which
serve as "institutional members," a force of executives and trained
workers was instantly deployed. With foreknowledge of just what to do
and how to do it, and without friction, these men and women have
reinforced the spontaneous response to emergency of citizens and
officials in the stricken communities.

Omaha's tornado had scarcely died down when Eugene T. Lies of the
Chicago United Charities was on his way to the city. Ernest P. Bicknell,
director of the National Red Cross, had reached Chicago, en route to
Omaha, when news of the Ohio floods turned him back. The same news
summoned Edward T. Devine from New York. It was Mr. Devine who organized
the Red Cross relief work at San Francisco, following the earthquake and
fire of 1908. Mr. Bicknell established headquarters at Columbus, itself
badly in the grip of the waters. At Dayton Mr. Devine, C. M. Hubbard of
the St. Louis Provident Association and T. J. Edmonds of the Cincinnati
Associated Charities concentrated their services.

When Cincinnati and its vicinity needed help, Mr. Edmonds returned to
his home city. The Omaha situation by this time could spare Mr. Lies for
Dayton. To Piqua, Sidney and other Ohio and Indiana flood points went
James F. Jackson of the Cleveland Associated Charities and other workers
from various organizations. The news from the Ohio and other floods
almost swamped that of an isolated disaster in Alabama where a tornado
devastated the town of Lower Peachtree. To handle the relief at this
point the Red Cross dispatched William M. McGrath of the Birmingham
Associated Charities, who had seen service a year ago in the Mississippi
floods.

To work under the direction of these executives, agents have been
drafted from the staffs of charitable organizations scattered throughout
the entire middle West, and even as far east as New York. Close
co-operation was at once established between this force, hastily
organized local committees and various branches of federal and state
government service. In Ohio the resources, equipment and staffs of the
army, the Public Health and Marine Hospital Service, the life-saving
service, the militia, the naval militia, and state departments of public
health, have all been applied promptly to the problem of emergency
relief. Governor Cox of Ohio, as ex-officio chairman of the Ohio Red
Cross State Commission, did much to assure this early co-operation.

Following the first work of rescue and relief, sanitation looms up as
one of the gravest problems of the Indiana and Ohio valleys. Immediately
upon the arrival of the secretary of war at Dayton a sanitary officer
was appointed, who divided the city into sixteen districts, each in
charge of a district sanitary officer. Each of these selected his own
staff from among local physicians and volunteer physicians from other
cities. Red Cross nurses in considerable numbers were early supplied.
Instructions in brief form have been sent broadcast over the city giving
definite directions to the inhabitants for the safeguarding of health.
The sewer and water systems are being reopened as rapidly as possible.

Early this week the expectation was that, although the dead in the city
would not total 200, it would be necessary to feed many thousands of
people for a week and several thousand for several weeks. The Dayton
situation, though more severe, was typical of what was to be found in
other stricken towns.

The extent of the Omaha disaster is already reported in statistics which
are said to be complete and accurate. The summary includes: 115 lives
lost; 322 seriously injured; at least 1,000 slightly injured; 822 houses
destroyed: 2,100 houses partially wrecked; property loss estimated at
