File No. 816.48/39
Minister Long to the Secretary of State
San Salvador , July 7, 1917 .
Sir: I have the honor to report, in continuation of my despatch No. 2081 which describes conditions following the earthquake of June 7, that comparatively little progress has been made toward the rehabilitation of destroyed portions of this city.
Limited indeed is the number of shelters finished, and given over to the needy. The slowness in providing adequate shelters for the poor now on the ground naturally serves as a discouragement to those others who fled the city following the recent seismic disturbances. There seems to be small chance that adequate shelters will be provided to accommodate all the homeless for a long time to come. The arrival of the roofing, lumber and supplies now on the way will ameliorate present conditions. But the problem of temporary quarters for those laborers whose presence is necessary for the rebuilding of the city probably will continue to be dealt with in haphazard fashion. Those who have no option but to remain will endure their hardships as best they may until the return of the dry season. In the interim many makeshift repairs are being made and minor building operations being undertaken but these follow the lines proven by the recent earthquake to be faulty.
[Page 1221]Meanwhile the larger problem, that of permanently rebuilding the city is receiving scant consideration from the Government because it has no funds, and cannot count upon any in the near future.
The danger of epidemic is apparent. Malaria is rampant at the present time. Flies and mosquitos are much more common than usual and among the latter are stygomise, the carriers of yellow fever. Although no yellow fever is known to exist here it may be brought in by coastwise traffic and under the conditions might gain great headway before it could be checked. Fortunately in these matters of public sanitation I am able to rely upon the advice and assistance of Dr. Bailey of the Rockefeller Foundation. Leading local physicians who may be said to be somewhat predisposed to ignore such signs concur that precautionary measures should be taken. We may rest assured that anything done in this direction to reduce the dangers of epidemic would not lessen that effectiveness of present local Red Cross work.
A temporary and partial relief will no doubt come with the advent of ample material for building emergency quarters, but even so, far more money than that now in sight will be necessary to pay for the construction of such quarters and to give effective form and distribution to the materials being contributed by donors including the American Red Cross.
In addition there should come quickly from some source an amount of cash sufficient to drain the vast number of pest holes, mosquito breeding centers, and to place a film of oil over such as cannot be drained.
I have [etc.]
Note: Above letter was referred to the American National Red Cross August 22, 1917.
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