Geoscience Reference
In-Depth Information
Russell Lee photographed 91-year-old Ellen McAllister as she sat on the edge of her bunk at
a camp near Shawneetown. She was said to be the camp's oldest resident. (Courtesy the
Library of Congress.)
Many of the refugees remained in the tent cities for weeks, fed by Red Cross workers using
military kitchen equipment and working from menus prepared by nutritionists at Red Cross
headquarters in Washington, D.C. Here a trio of workers can be seen preparing a meal at
the Shawneetown tent camp. The Red Cross later estimated it fed nearly 200,000 people,
some for a day or two and others for weeks. (Courtesy the Library of Congress.)
The district manager of the Red Cross flood relief effort is shown holding the first two ba-
bies born at the refugee camp near Shawneetown. With many of the region's hospitals
flooded, officials had to establish emergency medical facilities at the refugee centers. The
flood brought with it a virtual epidemic of pneumonia and a wide range of other illnesses.
Doctors and nurses worked around the clock in improvised conditions. (Courtesy the
Library of Congress.)
