SOME LESSONS OF THE RELIEF SURVEY
What then are some of the lessons to be learned from this review of the San Francisco relief work that may be applied in other great disasters?
Part I. Organization and the Emergency Period
We see among other things:
1. The importance of postponing the appointment of sub-committees until a strong central committee has been able to determine general policies and methods of procedure.
2. The wisdom of reducing the bread line and the camp population as quickly as possible after the disaster so that the relief resources may be conserved to meet the primary need of rehabilitation.
3. The value of utilizing for emergency administration a body so highly organized and so efficient as the United States Army, to take charge of camps, and to bring to points of distribution the supplies required for those in need of food and clothing.
4. The necessity of utilizing the centers of emergency distribution for the later rehabilitation work of district committees and corps of visitors.
5. The need of establishing a central bureau of information to serve from the beginning of the relief work as a clearing house, to prevent confusion and waste through duplication of effort.