https://peertube.dngr.us/videos/watch/aa4de87a-629a-4d9b-b295-45662d67497b Made in the 1940s or early 50s, "Disaster Strikes" showcases the capabilities of the American Red Cross during times of regional and national disaster. The film looks at a wide variety of natural disasters including Gulf Coast hurricanes, tornadoes, floods and forest fires as well as earthquakes, and also contains footage of man-made disasters such as train wrecks, airplane accidents, and more. At 2:25, the film shows the organization of the American Red Cross including the national HQ at Washington, D.C. where a vast communications network alerts the Red Cross command structure. At 2:45, teletype machines are seen. At 3:00, a decision-making team is seen including Red Cross personnel and military and government members. At 3:18, a telephone switchboard is seen with many female operators connecting every county in the USA. At 4:46, an evacuation in the path of a major storm is shown with livestock and personal belongings evacuated. At 5:10, the storm hits with great fury. At 6:00, an earthquake aftermath is shown. At 7:09, a forest fire. At 7:45, the SS Morro Castle is seen on fire off Asbury Park, New Jersey, and survivors are seen being brought to shore for medical care. At 8:14, a horrific series of railroad accidents are seen. At 8:25, the scene of a Northern Pacific Railroad accident, a deceased person is seen pinned inside a railroad car, and workers try to extricate the deceased. At 8:40, a plane crash is seen. At 9:00, a mining accident aftermath is seen in coal country. At 10:10, massive flooding is seen. The film then shows the Red Cross response, with Red Cross disaster preparedness and relief committees hard at work putting up shelters, feeding survivors, and sharing information with anxious relatives via telegram. At 14:40, a committee is seen reviewing various cases and doling out funds in support of the community.At 15:56, a young girl is shown in a wheelchair recovering from injury, and at 16:00 an African American woman and child receive medical aid. At 16:18, the "sweep of disaster" goes on, with various disasters shown. But the Red Cross will be there. SS Morro Castle was an ocean liner of the 1930s that was built for the Ward Line for voyages between New York City and Havana, Cuba. The ship was named for the Morro Castle fortress that guards the entrance to Havana Bay. On the morning of September 8, 1934, en route from Havana to New York, the ship caught fire and burned, killing 137 passengers and crew members. The ship eventually beached herself near Asbury Park, New Jersey, and remained there for several months until she was towed off and scrapped. The devastating fire aboard the SS Morro Castle was a catalyst for improved shipboard fire safety. Today, the use of fire-retardant materials, automatic fire doors, ship-wide fire alarms, and greater attention to fire drills and procedures resulted directly from the Morro Castle disaster. We encourage viewers to add comments and, especially, to provide additional information about our videos by adding a comment! See something interesting? Tell people what it is and what they can see by writing something for example: "01:00:12:00 -- President Roosevelt is seen meeting with Winston Churchill at the Quebec Conference." This film is part of the Periscope Film LLC archive, one of the largest historic military, transportation, and aviation stock footage collections in the USA. Entirely film backed, this material is available for licensing in 24p HD, 2k and 4k. For more information visit http://www.PeriscopeFilm.com Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zb8RScK7M3A Mirrored from Periscope Film (https://www.youtube.com/@PeriscopeFilm) Sat, 13 Jun 2026 13:26:09 GMT https://validator.w3.org/feed/docs/rss2.html PeerTube - https://peertube.dngr.us https://peertube.dngr.us/lazy-static/avatars/41a6fee9-7f57-42d0-a5fc-5db4f1af2e31.png https://peertube.dngr.us/videos/watch/aa4de87a-629a-4d9b-b295-45662d67497b All rights reserved, unless otherwise specified in the terms specified at https://peertube.dngr.us/about and potential licenses granted by each content's rightholder.