FAMILIES IN FLIGHT

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 9, 26 January 1937, Page 8

FAMILIES IN FLIGHT

1'i.w- \~sn ' Copyright.l

Troops Mobilised to Hel? in Mississippi Floods MORE AREAS ENGULFED

(By Telegraph '

OHICAGO, Jan. 24..

The entire trans-Misissippi area, a wide productive strip in the heart of the nation, was either struck or threatened by the flood, from Pittsburgh in the north to Arkansas in the south. Families fled as the waters engulfed ever-widening areas with the worst believed yet to come. Even greater than fear of the flood itself, is the fear of widespread outbreak of disease. The Bed Cross has viewed the situation as oflering the worst threat to public health in the history of American disasters. The Federal Government has mobilised forces on a wartime basis'to fight the high waters and relieve suft'ering. Agencies will operate under the personal direction of President' Koosevelt who will receive flood reports twice a day. Four thousand iive hundred troops are engaged erecting emergency shelters on high ground as near the homes of the refugees as possible. Field kitchens, sanitary centres and field b.ospitals have also been established. At Frankfort, Iventucky, national guardsmen reported that negro and white prisoners are remaining at the xeformatory fighting each other. Twelve are dead. Most of the women prisoners and 100 males, including three mur'derers, one under death sentence, have already been removed to

the gaols in surrounding towns. j Governor Chandler telephoned President Koosevelt asking that soldieru be I sent to Louisville where he said half the population of 330,000 were homeless. • The Mayor of Louisville, when he telephoned Mr. Koosevelt 's secretaray, said a conservative estimate of the homeless in the city was 200,000. He predicted that thirty of the city's forty square milea would be under water within twelve hours. The drinking water was almost exhausted at Columbus, Ohio. The deaths increased to 50. at Louisville. A baby was born in the huge armoury where there are 5000 refugees, before the mother eould be moved to hospital. Paducah, Kentucky, a town of 33,000 population, is isolated from the world. All communication ended following a final radio message that eight . f eet of water was running through the business section. In some parts of the south troops are restraining farmers from - cutting the levees but at Cairo, Illinois, a group of planters armed with shotguns patrolled the levee to prevent enigineers from making a breach in order to flood 131,000 acres of land to rer move the danger of Cairo being flooded. Mr. Barry Bingham, son of the Ambassador in England, suspended publication of the ' ' Courier Journal," his father's newspaper, for the iirst time since the Civil War, to conserve the power. He led the staff in rescue and t-dief work.