1900 Galveston hurricane
The Great Galveston Hurricane, known regionally as the Great Storm of 1900, was the deadliest natural disaster in United States history, one of the deadliest hurricanes (or remnants) to affect Canada, and the fourth-deadliest Atlantic hurricane overall. The hurricane left between 6,000 and 12,000 fatalities in the United States; the number most cited in official reports is 8,000. Most of these deaths occurred in the vicinity of Galveston after storm surge inundated the entire island with of water. In addition to the number killed, every house in the city sustained damage, with at least 3,636 destroyed. Approximately 10,000 people in the city were left homeless, out of a total population of nearly 38,000. The disaster ended the Golden Era of Galveston, as the hurricane alarmed potential investors, who turned to Houston instead. The Gulf of Mexico shoreline of Galveston island was subsequently raised by and a seawall erected.
40th Airlift Squadron
Through all of the changes, the mission of the 40th remained the same. Hurricane Camille, the worst hurricane in the history of the United States, hit the east coast in August 1969. In the first of a series of hurricane relief efforts, the 40th launched aircraft full of supplies for the stricken area. Hurricanes continued to decimate the east coast of the United States, and the 40th continued to respond. Hurricanes David and Frederick in 1979, Hurricane Hugo in 1989, and Hurricane Andrew in 1992 all brought out the 40th on missions of mercy. From 1969 on, the 40th flew humanitarian mission for a litany of disasters. Mud slides in Bogotá, Colombia in September 1970, an earthquake on the border between Peru and Ecuador a month later, floods in Bolivia, and a volcanic eruption in Nicaragua in 1971, floods in Virginia and Pennsylvania in July 1972, and an earthquake in Nicaragua six months later, in 1973 Operation Authentic Assistance, a massive drought and famine relief operation in Mali, an earthquake in Turkey in 1976, blizzards in New York in 1977, and again in Massachusetts in 1979 all proved the squadron's worth as an instrument of humanitarian relief as well as war. This is only a small handful of the many humanitarian relief operations throughout the history of the 40th. To name them all would take far too much space, but this short list illustrates the immeasurable service the squadron has given representing the United States to the world.