Receiving a check for disaster relief. Mayor Curtis Trahan is the man second from the left.

In the months that followed the explosion, support for Texas City poured forth from across the nation. People held fundraisers, national pledges, and provided housing for the homeless. Celebrities like Jack Benny, Frank Sinatra, and Phil Harris performed in fundraising campaigns that generated thousands of dollars. So much was donated that Mayor Trahan appointed committees to administer the dispersal of funds. Insurance companies, themselves damaged by the disaster, set up makeshift offices and began processing claims from hundreds of people within days of the disaster.