I can't confirm that Twain said it, but it sounds like something that Henry
Hazlitt would have said.  You might recommend Hazlitt's "Economics in One
Lesson" to the questioner.  There Hazlitt discusses the common but
fallacious thinking that natural disasters like hurricanes are good for the
economy because on the surface they seem to create jobs.  I think Twain
would have appreciated Hazlitt's stance on a number of issues.

Scott Dalrymple
Southwestern College
Winfield, Kansas