Cities have a way of snapping back after a disaster, mostly due to the will of people to rebuild what was lost Only a few U.S. cities have suffered monumental disasters in modern times. The Great Chicago Fire on Oct. 8-9,1871, killed 300 people and caused $200 million in damage. The great San Francisco Earthquake and fire on April 18, 1906, took 3,000 lives and caused $400 million in damage. The Galveston Hurricane of Sept. 8, 1900, claimed at least 6,000 when a 20-ft storm surge rolled over that low-lying city and wrecked it. Each brought with it lessons—some that still are vivid, and others that time has dimmed.
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