It's what it says on the label: a panoramic shot of East Galveston, right after the Storm of the Century came through, ripping up trees and destroying house like they were made of cards. Then, a decade and a half later came another Storm of the Century for Galveston.
Did Albert E. Smith actually direct this, perhaps striding around in riding boots and jodhpurs, a beret perched on his head, holding a megaphone to his mouth to order "Cue the storm!"? No. I don't imagine he left the home office that much. However, considering this was important enough for Edison to distribute it along with Smith's Vitagraph, ... well, everyone likes to see their name on the movie screen.