Final answer:
The major factor contributing to the devastation of the 1900 Galveston Hurricane was the lack of advance warning, which left residents unable to prepare or evacuate effectively. The city's inefficient government at the time also hindered both the immediate and recovery responses.
Step-by-step explanation:
The devastating impact of the 1900 Galveston Hurricane was largely due to A) Lack of advance warning. At the time, there was no modern weather forecasting infrastructure or communication systems to provide timely warnings to the residents of Galveston, Texas. The city was caught off-guard by the ferocity of the hurricane. In that era, it was difficult to predict such natural disasters with any reliable accuracy, which meant that the population had little to no time to evacuate or to prepare adequate defenses against the approaching storm.
Additionally, the inefficient local government and the inadequacies in public infrastructure contributed to the disaster. A corrupt and inefficient government led to the decision to adopt a commission system of local government in the aftermath of the hurricane, in the hopes of rebuilding more efficiently and preparing better for future catastrophes.
It wasn't until a disaster struck again in 1915 that the benefits of these changes were evident, as they had strengthened the city's infrastructure, including constructing storm walls and raising low-lying areas, which suffered the most during the 1900 hurricane. By the time the 1915 hurricane arrived, Galveston was much better prepared and consequently sustained minimal damage and loss of life.