A strong hurricane (also a Category 4) hit without warning and killed over 6,000 people in a single town. I'm sure people in adjacent areas were killed, too.

It has been a long time since a hurricane hit without warning - since before the invention of weather satellites. That's just another aspect of space utilization that most people take for granted, if they think of it at all.

Like you said, other satellite systems will play important roles in the weeks to come. Already, a team with satellite communications gear has left Colorado Springs for the affected areas. Imagery and navigation satellites will play important roles in the rescue and recovery operations as well.

As an aside, let's be thankful for the ham radio operators (some of them operate their own communications satellites). Those cleaver people are a national treasure in emergencies like this. Most of the region's communications infrastructure is offline. Hams practice austere operations with their "field days" and are no doubt already setting up operations. Good people, hams. They'll provide much needed communications for government agencies, emergency workers, power line crews, and the like.