It may come as a surprise to some that closets businesses have a critical role to play in post-Hurricane Sandy survival and recovery.

With 100,000 people displaced since the storm and 850,000 evacuated in anticipation of it, the ability of friends, family and even strangers to accommodate guests was - and is - being put to the test.

ClosetDaily.com and our sister-site WoodworkingNetwork.com, have been registering peak inquiries relating to Murphy Beds and other ways to convert living rooms and offices into guest quarters. . . or to increase the sleeping and storage capacity of homes.

For thousands of people this will be a longer-term transition, and the inventiveness of home storage solutions experts in finding ways to make space expand will be in demand.

In Edison, NJ Feb. 27 Custom Woodworking Business and Closets magazines will establish a gathering for sharing and mutual support for business focusing on Hurricane Sandy recovery - either for clients, or their own rebuilding - at the Cabinets & Closets Conference February 2-March 1, 2013.

Giving in time of need is a natural. But a number of firms make a habit of giving in advance, says the American Red Cross, so it is ready in a time of need. Home improvement businesses Lowe's, Home Depot, Costco, Walmart and 3M are among dozens of companies that have set aside $1 million each for the Red Cross, long in advance of Sandy's approach.

This Annual Disaster Giving Program (ADGP) allowed the Red Cross to prepare for and respond before Sandy made landfall, opening shelters, prepositioning supplies and putting disaster workers at the ready.

 Here is the list of $1 million sponsors for American Red Cross ADGP:

3M; Ahold USA; Altria Group; Aon; Bank of America; BMW; BNY Mellon; Boeing Charitable Trust; Briggs & Stratton Corporation; Caterpillar Inc.; Chevrolet and the GM Foundation; Chrysler; Church & Dwight; Cisco Foundation; Citi Foundation; Coach, Inc.; Community Safety Foundation funded by AAA Northern California, Nevada and Utah Insurance Exchange; ConAgra Foods Foundation; Costco Wholesale Corporation; Darden Restaurants, Inc.; Dell Inc.; Disney; Dr Pepper Snapple Group; Edison International; Enterprise Holdings Foundation; Exxon Mobil Corporation; FedEx Corporation; GE Foundation; Hewlett-Packard Company Foundation ; The Home Depot Foundation; jcpenney; John Deere Foundation; Johnson Controls; J.P. Morgan Chase; Kimberly-Clark Corporation; Kohl’s Department Stores; Lady Gaga; Lowe's Companies, Inc.;Mercedes-Benz USA; Merck Co. Foundation; Mondelēz International; Morgan Stanley; The National Football League and the NFL Players Association; Nationwide Insurance Foundation; Northrop Grumman; Optum; PepsiCo and the PepsiCo Foundation; Samuel I. Newhouse Foundation; Samsung; Southwest Airlines; Sprint; State Farm; State Street; Target; Texas Instruments; The TJX Companies, Inc.; UnitedHealthcare; University of Phoenix; UPS; Verizon Foundation; Viacom; Walmart; The Weather Channel; WellPoint Foundation; and Wells Fargo.