Although war activities required its greatest energies, the American Red
Cross rendered prompt relief in cases of overwhelming disaster outside
the war zones during the year. There were three major disasters, widely
separated, in 1917. They were, respectively, the Tientsin flood, which
made 1,000,000 people homeless and caused a crop and property loss
amounting to $100,000,000; the Halifax explosion, which wrecked a large
part of the city and resulted in the killing and maiming of thousands of
persons, and the Guatemala earthquake, which caused destitution and
disease, in addition to the property damage and the toll of death and
injury.
In the case of the flood in China, the Red Cross cabled to the American
Minister to draw for sums sufficient to meet emergency needs, and later
assisted the Chinese Government in providing labor for 10,000 refugees
for a period of several months. The appropriations for relief in
connection with this disaster totaled $125,000.
Within a few hours after the extent of the Halifax disaster was known,
special Red Cross trains left New York, Providence, and Boston for the
scene, carrying tons of bedding, clothing, food, and medical supplies,
as well as doctors, nurses, and experts in relief administration. Every
anticipated need was provided for, and unlimited resources were pledged
to the stricken city.
Urgent relief needs following the earthquake in Guatemala were met
through the Guatemala Red Cross chapter, which purchased $100,000 worth
of supplies from the Government stores in the Canal Zone. A shipload of
medical, food, and other supplies was sent from New Orleans at the
earliest possible moment, and a Medical Director was appointed to take
charge of work on the ground. Expert workers and sanitary engineers also
were dispatched from the United States to look after special phases of
the situation.