In the hurricane that devastated Galveston, Texas, in 1900 , at least 6,000 people perished and most of the city's buildings were obliterated. America had become an industrial power in that era, and the technology of the time—telegraph, newspapers, telephone and telegraph—enabled news and recovery to travel to the farthest reaches. The disaster got a huge response from concerned Americans.

The Salvation Army, 20 years in the U.S. by that time, sent a big delegation to the stricken city to provide relief . "From these beginnings, The Salvation Army has developed local, regional and national disaster services programs," the Army's website states. Today, The Salvation Army has a substantial disaster response program in place  to aid community recovery.

In 1893, Charles Sutro , of the vaunted San Francisco family, gave The Salvation Army a donation of $100. (The check was drawn on Wells Fargo Bank, the vaunted San Francisco institution.)

I salute The Salvation Arny, on scene still in New Orleans, and with a recovery team in Nickel Mines, Pennsylvania , to assist those folks how ever they can.