THE HOMELESS ONES

this is a film that could not be photographed because its events fortunately exist only in the human mind exploring grim possibilities of the future but they can and may happen in modern warfare no community is immune to attack from the air and the weapon would be a bomb perhaps high explosive perhaps the atom bomb perhaps the h-bomb let us look midway among these horrors an atom bomb falling on a modern city would create great destruction over an area up to nearly two miles from the blast center ranging from severe damage to heavy damage to nearly total destruction at ground zero ah at the blast center there would be few of any survivors of atomic attack ruin desolation the silence of death the dreadful blast shadows of vanished victims imprinted by radiation on streets walls but immediately around the blast center in a region of heavy damage where many people would be killed injured or trapped in debris the civil defense forces would be at work rescue squads would cope with grim problems they would have little time for anything but their own vital tasks the rescue workers would have little time for those who were confused frightened panic-stricken these people would be the concern of civil defense welfare service workers whose job it is to look after those who can still walk but who need help after disaster their work is to prevent panic and restore order by helping people to recover from the shock and dislocation of attack the survival of any city will depend on the speed with which this is done and with organization and forethought it can be done in organizing a region for civil defense let's take a community which for one reason or another could be an objective of enemy attack it's called a target area that's the city itself the target area the region immediately around the city including nearby towns and villages is called the mutual aid area the region surrounding this is called the reception and mobile support area if the city is very large the mutual aid area may extend as far as 50 miles and may be divided into sub-areas according to road and rail communications township and county boundaries and so on these areas will provide help for the stricken city and shelter for the homeless if it is needed and here is the city the target area for civil defense organization purposes it is divided up according to the location of that part which might be subject to the most severe effects of a ball attack this is called the critical area it may be a war plant an industrial district a railway yard a canal but the various civil defense subdivisions will radiate out from it each containing part of the critical area each subdivision should have prospective civil defense welfare centers selected and registered with the civil defense director as part of the civil defense program there might be several centers for each subdivision of a large city covering a huge heavily populated area each center selected ahead of time for possible use in a given district generally the centers would be towards the outskirts and each center would be a large building or group of buildings and as no one knows where a bomb may fall for every center earmarked in advance another should be designated in case the first choice is destroyed part way between each center and the target area would be assembly areas these might be parks or schoolyards the assembly areas serve as connecting links between the welfare centers and the region of destruction organization must extend right to the neighborhood level in every block at least one woman should be appointed and trained as a welfare aide to the warden in forward areas these block workers will help handle dazed and confused people and direct and guide the homeless to the nearest welfare assembly area the welfare assembly areas would be established by people in their immediate neighborhood trained for the emergency or by teams sent out from the nearest welfare center immediately after the attack the assembly area is an intermediate point a gathering place and its purpose is to prevent panic and confusion by providing organized effort to gather groups of homeless people together here they can be given temporary attention and then sent on their way to the welfare center farther back transportation will be provided here for all people invalids and children so the flow of homeless from the devastated region will be toward the assembly areas from there to the welfare centers the great task of civil defense welfare services is to prevent a breakdown of civilian morale the welfare center provides organized help in a time of fear and confusion and so the reception area of the center should be prepared to find out the immediate needs of the people as soon as they arrive the reception workers should be able to give information and active help quickly and efficiently in the medical aids section volunteer workers with first aid training should be on hand to attend cases of hysteria collapse or minor injury serious cases can be given temporary care before being taken to hospitals by other civil defense workers the emergency feeding section provides food and drink for the homeless when they arrive at the center most of these people will be physically and emotionally upset and a hot drink will help calm and reassure them on a long-range basis the emergency feeding work calls for a good deal of organization and supply but its immediate function after an attack is simple to have plenty of hot drinks ready as quickly as possible and facilities for serving the incoming crowds in the emergency clothing section the demands would be very great if an attack took place at night or in wintertime even in a daytime attack many night workers might be asleep at the time of the blast other people might have their clothes badly torn or burned as soon as emergency needs are met comes the work of the registration and inquiry section everyone arriving at the center should be registered by cooperation with other centers and other civil defense services this provides a record of survivors and helps bring families together mass lodging would be the heaviest problem facing civil defense welfare services there must be emergency provision for shelter at the center again with special reference to the possibility of disaster at night or in winter weather all this means that the center must have a big crew of workers the personnel staff would have a vital job in finding the right people for the many tasks to be done and in controlling their activities key people would be registered long in advance there would be need for people accustomed to the handling of food clothing and stores and for people trained in communications as soon as the first shot has passed it will be possible to make use of housing surveys and reports from block wardens to find lodgings for the homeless rehabilitation would be the big task so that essential workers can get back to their jobs in production restored so the welfare center becomes a clearinghouse some people may be able to return to their own homes unaccompanied children are taken to children's institutions foster homes or to relatives the transport section would have a big job not only in bringing homeless people and staff workers to and from the center but in taking people to support areas and bringing back supplies and workers welfare centers in communities outside the city in the mobile support area will be vitally important especially in the event of h-bomb attack with its relatively greater destruction these communities may be called upon to provide refuge for people from several hundred miles away towns failing to plan for such an emergency may be swamped but with proper organization with a welfare center already selected and a staff ready to swing into action the plight of the homeless can be handled in an orderly way by an advance home survey it should be possible to billet new arrivals soon after they register at the center after their immediate needs have been cared for the welfare center in the support area town has a two-way job to receive the homeless and to send aid to the stricken area the center would be a headquarters for collecting supplies equipment and clothing and from here would go train teams of workers to help operate civil defense welfare services at the scene of devastation as workers and supplies arrive from the support area in the palm city its centers will face the problem of prolonged operation finding food and shelter for the homeless over a period of time each center will be the busiest place in its area on a 24-hour day basis each center will need three people for every job trained people if possible because there will be a use for every ability and skill even if you can offer to do no more than carry messages if there's a civilian defense welfare services organization in your community your name should be on their lists today so that you can be of help in time of disaster and suffering whether in time of peace or time of war from all walks of life will come the people who may be needed in communities large and small in a city of fifty thousand a civil defense organization would need roughly seven percent of the population or about 3 500 workers of these volunteers welfare services would require about 20 or perhaps 700 workers ready to give their abilities and experience in time of emergency this could be your community as not yet seen by the camera's eye as it may never be seen but if disaster should come it will never be as bad as it might be if it is met by people organized by people trained by people prepared you