Give help to all according to thy ability and their fitness

 Do not be carried along inconsiderately by the appearance of things, but give help to all according to thy ability and their fitness.  Marcus Aurelius. Meditations.  Book 5.

Image: The casts of victims of Pompeii destroyed by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 CE courtesy of Wikimedia Commons contributor Lancevortex.  

Despite his short reign, Titus Caesar Vespasianus faced a number of major disasters. A few months after his accession, Mount Vesuvius erupted and almost completely destroyed the cities and resort communities around the Bay of Naples. The cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum were buried under metres of stone and lava, killing thousands. Titus appointed two ex-consuls to organise and coordinate the relief effort and personally donated large amounts of money from the imperial treasury to aid the victims of the volcano.  Additionally, he visited Pompeii once after the eruption and again the following year. During the second visit, in spring of 80 CE, a fire broke out in Rome and burned large parts of the city for three days and three nights. Although the extent of the damage was not as disastrous as during the Great Fire of 64 CE and crucially spared the many districts of insulae, Cassius Dio records a long list of important public buildings that were destroyed, including Agrippa's Pantheon, the Temple of Jupiter, the Diribitorium, parts of the Theatre of Pompey, and the Saepta Julia among others. Once again, Titus personally compensated the treasury for the repair of the damaged regions.