1965 — Sep 7-10, Hurricane Betsy, SE FL, esp., LA (levee break), also AR, MS –93-105

–93-105  Blanchard tally based on U.S. State and local breakouts below.[1]

—     83  Jennings Daily News, LA (UPI). “Debbie may be dangerous” 9-27-1965, p. 1.

—     81  NWS WFO, New Orleans/Baton Rouge. Top Weather…20^th Century... 5-22-2009.[2]

—     81  Roth, David. Louisiana Hurricane History. June 4, 2003.

—     76  FEMA. Hurricane Ike in Texas and Louisiana. April 2009, p. 1-24.[3]

—     76  Lake Charles American Press. “Betsy Victim’s Body is Found…” 10-7-1965, p.35.[4]

—     76  Miles, Michelle. Levees, Looters and Lawlessness (doctoral dissertation). 2007, p. 181.

—     76  Rappaport/Partagas. The Deadliest Atlantic Tropical Cyclones, 1492-1994. Jan 1995.[5]

—     75  Barnes, Jay. Florida’s Hurricane History. Chapel Hill: UNC Press, 1998, p. 229.

—     75  Blake, et al. The Deadliest, Costliest, and Most Intense US Cyclones…, April 2007.

—     75  Burt, C. C. and M. Stroud. Extreme Weather: A Guide & Record Book. 2004, p. 205.

—     75  Curella. “Hurricane Betsy: Lauderdale Starts Digging Out.” Sun-Sentinel, FL. 9-9-1965.

—     75  Hebert/Jarrell/Mayfield. The Deadliest, Costliest…[US] Hurricanes… Feb 1993, p. 80.

—     75  Jarrell, Mayfield, Rappaport/Landsea. The Deadliest…Hurricanes… Oct 2001 update.

—     75  Longshore. Encyclopedia of Hurricanes, Typhoons…Cyclones (New Ed.). 2008, 52, 54.

—     75  National Hurricane Ctr. Memorable Gulf Coast Hurricanes…20^th Century. Nov 1993.[6]

—     75  New York Times. “In the Threatened Area, 5 Major Hurricanes in 20 Years.” 9-1-1985.

—     75  Ruston Daily Leader, LA. “Betsy Toll Reaches 75.” 10-6-1965, p. 5.[7]

—     75  Sav, T. G. Natural Disasters: Some Empirical…Economic Considerations. 1974, 14.[8]

—     75  Sugg, Arnold L. “The Hurricane Season of 1965.” MWR, V94, N3, Mar 1966, p. 183.[9]

—     74  Lake Charles American Press, LA. “Soaring Damage…Worst…Ever.” 9-15-1965, p. 1.

—     74  Melaragno, Michele. Severe Storm Engineering for Structural Design. OPA. 1996, p.50.

—   ~50  Lake Charles American Press, LA. “N.O. Storm Dead May Reach 200.” 9-12-1965, p.1.

—     50  New York Times (AP). “Hurricane Flood Raises Toll to 50.” 9-12-1965, p. 1.

—     37  New York Times (Evert Clark). “Betsy’s Course Accurately Traced.” 9-12-1965, p. E7.

—     23  NYT. “New Orleans Loss in Storm Heavy; 23 Dead in 3 States.” 9-11-1965, 1.

—       9  Lake Charles American Press, LA. “Betsy Leaves Havoc…New Orleans.” 9-10-1965, 1

—       3  Brownsville Herald, TX. Betsy Churns Into Gulf After Battering Florida.” 9-8-1965, p1.

—       3  Lake Charles American Press, LA. “Thousands Flee Onrushing Betsy.” 9-9-1976, p. 1.

 

Arkansas        (   4)

— 4  News Tribune, Fort Pierce, FL. “Betsy (con’t. from p. 1.). 9-12-1965. p. 3.

— 4  Tornadoes. Longshore. Encyclopedia of Hurricanes, Typhoons…(New Ed.). 2008, p. 54.

— 3  Indirect fatalities. U.S. Weather Bureau. Climatological Data. 16/9, Sep 1965, p. 479.

 

Florida:          (7-13) Sep 7 Landfall

State:

–7-13  Blanchard estimate.[10]

— 13  Barnes, Jay. Florida’s Hurricane History. Chapel Hill: UNC Press, 1998, 229.

— 13  Longshore. Encyclopedia of Hurricanes, Typhoons, and Cyclones (New Ed.). 2008, 53.[11]

— 13  U.S. Weather Bureau, Dept. of Commerce. Climatological Data. 16/9, Sep 1965, p. 479.[12]

—   8  The Light, San Antonio, TX. Betsy Leaves Death Trail in La.” 9-11-1965, p. 1.

—   7  Lake Charles American Press, LA. “Search Pressed for Dead in Flood Area.” 9-16-1965, 1

—   7  Lake Charles American Press, LA. “Soaring Damage…Worst…Ever.” 9-15-1965, 1.

—   7  News Tribune, Fort Pierce, FL. “Betsy (con’t. from p. 1.). 9-12-1965. p. 3.

—   7  News Tribune, Fort Pierce, FL. “Betsy Said the Worst on Record.” 9-15-1965, p. 3.

—   6  Lake Charles American Press, LA. “Betsy Leaves Havoc in New…” 9-10-1965, 1.

—   4  National Hurricane Ctr. Memorable Gulf Coast Hurricanes…20^th Century. Nov 1993.

Localities:

—  9  ~Barnes Key. “…missing at sea.” Storm overtakes group of fleeing small craft, 9 drown.[13]

—  1  Homestead. “…a 55-year-old man died of a heart attack attributed to the storm.”[14]

—  1  Miami, Sep 8. Electrocution, Helen Cooper, 40, steps on a falling power line.[15]

—  1       “      Skidding car on rain-slick causeway strikes and kills Capt. Owen Bender.[16]

—  1  Panama City, Sep 9. Waves topple seawall onto Herbert Prescott, 43, crushing him.[17]

—  1  Pensacola Bay. Body of fishing boat crewman Charlie Williams found.[18]

—  1  Tampa. Tree fall kills male.[19]

—  1  West Palm Beach. Garage door hits woman’s head while in attempt to close the door.[20]

 

Louisiana:      (81-87) Sep 9-10 Landfall (about Midnight)

State

–81-87  Blanchard estimate for Louisiana.[21]

—  81  Bragg. Historic Names…Places…Lower Miss. Ri. “Bonnet Care Spillway,” 1977, 240.

—  81  McCarragher, Barbara. New Orleans Hurricane History (website).[22]

—  81  U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New Orleans District. Hurricane Betsy. 1966, p. 5.[23]

—  78  Daily Star, Hammond. LA. “2 More Found. Betsy’s Death Count…78…” 9-20-1965, p. 1.

—>78  Lake Charles American Press. “Volunteer Help Greatest in History…” 9-22-1965, p. 18.

—  76  Neely, Wayne. The Major Hurricanes to Affect the Bahamas. AuthorHouse, 2006, p. 95.

—  71  Jennings Daily News, LA (UPI). “Debbie may be dangerous” 9-27-1965, p. 1.

—  70  Lake Charles American Press, LA. “Efforts Underway…Raising…Barge.” 9-17-1965, 1.

—  68  Lake Charles American Press, LA. “Search Pressed for Dead in Flood…” 9-16-1965, p. 1.

—  62  Lake Charles American Press, LA. “Soaring Damage…Worst…Ever.” 9-15-1965, p. 1.

—  61  Longshore. Encyclopedia of Hurricanes, Typhoons, and Cyclones (New Ed.). 2008, p. 53.

—  58  Barnes, Jay. Florida’s Hurricane History. Chapel Hill: UNC Press, 1998, p. 228.

—  58  Calhoun, Milburn (Ed.). Louisiana Almanac 2008-2009 Edition. Pelican, 2008, p.183.

—  58  National Hurricane Ctr. Memorable Gulf Coast Hurricanes of the 20^th Century. Nov 1993.

—  58  Roth, David. Louisiana Hurricane History. Camp Springs, MD: NWS, 4-8-2010.

—  58  Roth. [LA] Hurricane History: Late 20^th Century. NWSFO Lake Charles, LA, 6-4-2003.

—  58  U.S. Weather Bureau, Dept. of Commerce. Climatological Data. 16/9, Sep 1965, p.479.[24]

—  53  U.S. Weather Bureau. Hurricane Betsy Aug 27-Sep 12 (Preliminary Report), 9-15-1965, 7

—  52  Lake Charles American Press, LA. “Coroner Slashes Death Estimate.” 9-14-1965, p. 1.

—  52  News Tribune, Fort Pierce, FL. “LBJ Pumps Money, Materials into Storm-Torn [LA].”[25]

—>38  Lake Charles American Press, LA. “N.O. Storm Dead May Reach 200.” 9-12-1965, p. 1.

Localities

–82-87  Blanchard tally based on locality breakouts below.[26]

—       1  Baton Rouge, Sep 10. Man found dead (undisclosed cause), riverside boat landing.[27]

—       1  New Orleans, Sep 10. Woman drowns. Lake Charles American Press, LA. 9-10-1965, 1

—       1        “         Sep 10. Heart attack, female. Lake Charles American Press, LA. 9-10-1965, 1

—       2        “         Sep 17. Presumably drowning victims.[28]

—   ~50        “ Drownings. Daily Star. “Floods Blamed on 26-Foot Tidal Surge.” 9-23-1965, 1.[29]

—     41        “   Drownings. U.S. Weather Bureau. Climatological Data. 16/9, Sep 1965, p.479.[30]

—       1        “   Oct 2. “Flood victim,” body of Mrs. Eva Jackson, 66, found at home, east N.O.

–75-80                    “   Drownings. Keim/Muller. Hurricanes of the Gulf of Mexico. LSU, 2009, p. 85.[31]

—     20?  Plaquemines Parish. Lake Charles American Press, LA. “Coroner…” 9-14-1965, p.1.[32]

—     30?      “   Buras vicinity. Daily Star, Hammond, LA. “The Night the…” 9-20-1965, p. 1.[33]

—       6        “   Lake Charles American Press. “Betsy Victim’s Body is Found…” 10-7-1965, 35.

—       1        “   Sunrise, Lake Charles American Press. “Betsy Victim’s Body…” 35

 

Mississippi      (     1)

— 1  State.  News Tribune, Fort Pierce, FL. “Betsy (con’t. from p. 1.). 9-12-1965. p. 3.

— 1  Bay St. Louis. Man drowns.[34]

— 1  Indirect fatality. U.S. Weather Bureau. Climatological Data. 16/9, Sep 1965, p. 479.

 

Bahamas        (     1)

— 1  Wikipedia. “Hurricane Betsy.” 12-29-2013 modification.

 

Florida

 

Barnes:  “Betsy (September 7-8, 1965)

 

“Only 6 tropical storms developed n the Atlantic basin during the 1965 season, well below the 9.5 that can be expected in an average year. Of these 6, only Betsy made landfall in the United States as a hurricane – but it struck twice. Betsy flirted with forecasters for days before sweeping over South Florida and then sailing across the Gulf to bash Louisiana. Its broad effects were felt in several states, and it left behind a tremendous toll in damages. When it was all over and the losses were totaled Betsy was recognized by the Weather Bureau as the most destructive hurricane in history….

 

“In the early morning hours of September 8, Betsy cut across the Keys and wind and tide extremes that approached those experienced during Hurricane Donna a few years before. The southern edge of the hurricane’s eye passed over Marathon and the northern edge over the Flamingo ranger station, suggesting that the eye was forty miles in diameter as it crossed Florida Bay. Betsy’s arrival in Florida was a topic of much discussion since it was only the second significant hurricane of record to approach the state from the northeast. The other was the ‘Yankee Hurricane’ that moved inland over Miami in November 1935.

 

“Betsy’s highest winds blasted the upper Keys, and many wind instruments were either destroyed or reached the top of their range. According to Weather Bureau records, ‘Sustained winds of 100 mph or higher were recorded between Big Pine Key and Homestead.’ Many of the highest wind speeds were estimates, including reports from Tavernier of sustained winds of 120 mph, with gusts to 140 mph. At Big Pine Key sustained winds were estimated at 125 mph, with gusts to 165 mph. Estimated gusts of 160 mph were reported at North Key Largo, Grassy Key, and the Flamingo ranger station. At Miami measured gusts topped 100 mph, and at For Lauderdale observers estimated gusts of 120 mph….

 

“Northerly winds in advance of the storm center pushed the waters of Florida Bay southward toward the Keys, flooding the northern sides of the islands and causing the most extensive damages….Tides ranged from five to seven feet above mean sea level in the western Keys to seven to nine feet in the eastern Keys. At North Key Largo tides were measured at nine feet above normal. Floodwaters covered many areas to a depth of several feet, closing highways and inundating the first floor of many buildings.

 

“Farther northward at Miami Beach, the storm surge was the greatest since 1926, although it was not even close to th level in that storm. Tides at South Miami Beach measured 6.1 feet above mean low water. Seawater filled most of the streets facing the ocean and fronting Biscayne Bay….The Roney Plaza [resort hotel] lost seventy oceanfront cabanas and its restaurant. According to reports by the Associated Press, water was eighteen inches deep in the hotel’s lobby, and ‘fish and eels were found in the basement lobby of the opulent Fontainblue.’ In spite of the howling storm, the hotels sent telegrams to scheduled convention participants encouraging them to ‘come on down.’

 

“The Rickenbacker Causeway, Key Biscayne’s connection to the mainland, was severed when three barges that had broken their moorings were dashed into a bridge. Hundreds of the island’s residents were evacuated by boat and by amphibious vehicle…. A special weather summary prepared by the Weather Bureau further described the flooding…. ‘Virtually all of the land south of Homestead Air Force Base and east of highway U.S. #1 was covered with water. The area west of #1 was similarly flooded northward to within 3 miles of Florida City.’

 

“Criminals rarely seem to suspend their activities during hurricanes. During Betsy’s visit, Miami Beach police arrested numerous looters who were taking advantage of shattered store windows along Collins Avenue….

 

“The Panamanian cargo ship Amarylis was driven aground near Palm Beach with a crew of twenty-eight aboard, but no one was injured and the ship was later refloated….

 

“In Florida damages totaled $139 million…Most of the damage occurred along the coastal sections of Palm Beach County and in the Keys….Thirteen Floridians died in the storm. An elderly woman was killed in West Palm Beach as she attempted to close her garage doors, which were banging violently in the wind. An eighty-seven-year-old Miami man died after refusing to leave his flooded home, and another Miami resident, Helen Cooper, was electrocuted when she was hit by a falling power cable as she was walking into the fierce winds with her head lowered. Other deaths were reported in Homestead, Taylor County, Panama City, and Pensacola….”

(Barnes, Jay. Florida’s Hurricane History. Chapel Hill/London: UNC Press, 1998, pp. 223-226.)

 

Louisiana

 

Barnes:  “By the morning of September 9, Betsy was once again a monster storm and was quickly bearing down on the Louisiana coast…Betsy made landfall just before midnight over the low, marshy expanses of the Mississippi River Delta. Winds over southeastern Louisiana were as strong as those that had been observed over the Florida Keys. At Grand Isle gusts were estimated at 160 mph, and a barometric low of 28.00 inches was recorded….Winds of hurricane force battered the state from Grand Isle up to Baton Rouge, where the Mississippi River crested at 15.5 feet above sea level and a barometer reading of 28.3 inches established a new record. At New Orleans the Mississippi rose more than ten feet. Winds of 125 mph peeled back roofs and toppled billboards and utility poles….

 

“Hundreds of barges were either sunk or driven aground, including one containing 600 tons of chlorine gas that went down near the Louisiana State University campus. Although it could have caused an even greater disaster, the submerged barge was safely refloated a week after the storm.

 

“Damages in Louisiana were immense, but no place suffered like Orleans Parish. New Orleans has an unusual topography most of the city is below sea level and surrounded by an elaborate system of levees, canals, and pumping stations that keep it dry. As Hurricane Betsh swept through, the city’s levees could not hold back the tremendous quantity of seawater that immersed the region. The massive pumping system, the largest in the world, was overloaded and failed when 90 percent of the city lost electrical power. One woman later reported that the rush of water was so great that it filled her home to the ceiling within thirty minutes, forcing her to quickly scramble onto her roof. Over 300 city blocks were submerged, and many residents waited on rooftops for up to twenty hours in driving rain for rescue teams to find them. In some areas, the flooding was delayed and did not peak until hours after the storm had passed. Since natural drainage is not possible in New Orleans, floodwaters remained for several days, which made evacuation and cleanup extremely difficult.

 

“After hammering the Delta region on September 9, the hurricane moved through central Louisiana and into eastern Arkansas on the tenth. Winds diminished, but heavy rains continued to fall as it drifted toward the Ohio Valley as a tropical storm.  It took residents and local officials weeks to access Betsy’s impact on the region. Louisiana clearly suffered the greatest losses, with more than 27,000 homes destroyed or severely damaged and over 17,000 people injured, 679 hospitalized, and 58 dead. The destruction in Louisiana was tallied at over $1.2 billion, making Betsy by far the most expensive hurricane in U.S. history up to that time, without even factoring in the losses in Florida, Mississippi, Alabama, and Arkansas.

 

“In Louisiana tragedies abounded in the storm. Many died as they fled the terrible flood. Some escaped in caravans of small skiffs pulled by small powerboats, but one such rescue ended horribly when one of the boats tipped over, drowning two children. One evacuee reported seeing an elderly couple in wheelchairs who were waiting to be rescued when floodwaters rose above their chins. Four young children apparently drowned when the pickup truck they were clinging to was overturned by the raging current of a flooded street. The total number of deaths caused by Betsy in the United States was 75, the most since Hurricane Audrey killed 390 in 1957….” (Barnes, Jay. Florida’s Hurricane History. Chapel Hill/London: UNC Press, 1998, pp. 227-229.)

 

Bragg:  “Bonnet Carre Spillway  Mile 128.0 AHP, May 51  Left bank, descending

 

“The Bonnet Carre Spillway is one of the important elements in the overall plan for the protection of the Lower Mississippi Valley from major floods. Designed to ensure the safety of New Orleans and the levee system above and below the city, the spillway structure and the floodway that carries the flood flow into Lake Pontchartrain have a design capacity of 250.000 cubic feet per second.

 

“The Bonnet Carre area, where crevasses had been so frequent before 1900, was a natural choice for the location of the flood outlet. The spillway project was completed in 1935, at a cost of more than $14 million, and consists of a concrete control structure with 350 individual bays which can be opened or closed by lifting or dropping the huge timbers that are called “needles.” The Bonnet Carre Spillway was used in 1937, 1945, 1950, 1973, and, briefly, in 1975. In every case the spillway relieved the pressure on the levee system below and served the purposes for which it was designed.

 

“In 1965 the structure suffered considerable damage when Hurricane Betsy swept across it, blowing out all 7,000 of the timber needles. The winds of more than 100 miles per hour blew down trees in the area, damaged fences, and destroyed all the signs. Repairs were made after the storm, the timber needles were quickly replaced, and no permanent damage was done.

 

“The same hurricane in 1965 had wrecked or stranded 176 vessels between Baton Rouge and the Gulf. The storm came out of the Gulf of Mexico. hit the shore just west of Grand Isle, lashed New Orleans with 125 miles per hour winds, and passed west of Baton Rouge with winds still blowing harder than 100 miles per hour. In Louisiana, 81 people died in Hurricane Betsy, 17,600 were injured, and 250,000 had to be evacuated from their homes. Total damages were estimated at about two billion dollars.”  (Bragg, Marion. Historic Names and Places on the Lower Mississippi River. Vicksburg, MS:  Department of the Army, Corps of Engineers, U.S. Army, Mississippi River Commission, 1977, pp. 239-240.)

 

McCarragher: “Hurricane Betsy made landfall on September 10th, 1965 at Grand Isle, Louisiana with a pressure of 948 mb, gusts of 160 miles per hour (mph), and a forward speed of 22 mph.  The island was completely flooded by the 4.8 m (15.7 ft) storm surge.  Offshore oilrigs, public utilities, and commercial boats all suffered severe damage.  New Orleans witnessed gusts of 135 mph, a 3 meter (9.8 ft)storm surge, and the worst flooding in decades.  Eighty-one people died, and damage in southeast Louisiana totaled $1.4 billion.  After the overtopping of the levees, it took nearly eight hours to get the pumping systems back to normal (Fitzpatrick, 1999).  The Orleans Levee Board responded by raising the levee height to 12 feet.”[35]

 

FEMA:  “Hurricane Betsy was a major hurricane of the 1965 hurricane season tracking through the Bahamas and Florida before making landfall on September 9, 1965, as a Category 3 hurricane at Grand Isle, LA. Hurricane Betsy brought 160-mph gusts and a 16-foot storm surge that flooded the entire island. Winds gusted to 125 mph in New Orleans and a 10-foot storm surge caused major flooding. Winds in most of southeast Louisiana reached 100 mph and, in areas as far inland as Monroe, winds exceeded 60 mph. Offshore oil rigs, public utilities, and commercial boats all suffered severe damage, resulting in approximately $1.4 billion in damage in 1965 dollars. Seventy-six people lost their lives as a direct result of Hurricane Betsy,[36] the first storm to cause $1 billion in damage.

 

“Hurricane Betsy caused surge effects in Lake Pontchartrain that caused a section of the levee to fail, resulting in flooding within New Orleans in the Ninth Ward and in the Chalmette area of St. Bernard Parrish. In most low-lying areas of the city, floodwaters reached to the roofs of houses, resulting in drowning deaths of some of those whom had sought refuge from the floodwaters in their attics. Water levels receded after approximately 10 days. It is estimated that approximately 164,000 homes were flooded in Louisiana as a result of Hurricane Betsy. A new levee system, both higher and stronger than the former system, was constructed by U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) and protected New Orleans from Hurricane Camille’s storm surge in 1969.”  (FEMA. “Hurricane Betsy,” p. 1-24 in: Hurricane Ike in Texas and Louisiana (Mitigation Assessment Team Report. Building Performance Observations, Recommendations, and Technical Guidance (FEMA P-757). April 2009 (also NHC 2009 Release).

 

Keim and Muller:  “Hurricane Betsy, September 1965.

 

“`Billion Dollar Betsy’ was the most costly hurricane in the history of the United States at its time, with the total cost exceeding $1 billion for the first time – in 2007 dollars, that would be $6.5 billion….Betsy…emerged [after making landfall in FL] over the eastern Gulf, intensifying briefly to category five only 140 miles southeast of New Orleans before making a second landfall as a category three storm at Grand Isle, Louisiana, a barrier island fifty miles south of New Orleans. Betsy destroyed almost all of the residential and commercial structures and the facilities for offshore recreational fishing in Grand Isle.

 

“The strongest sustained wind recorded in New Orleans was only 69 miles per hour, not quite hurricane force, but our hurricane strike model indicates a category one strike at New Orleans. At the city the storm surge was about ten feet, and many of the protective levees were breached, flooding much of the city, especially the Lower Ninth Ward and Chalmette, for ten days…Up to 250,000 people had to be evacuated, with about 150,000 housing units flooded. Seventy-five to eighty residents drowned. Hurricane Betsy also destroyed Manila Village…[a] Filipino settlement in Barataria Bay, established in the late nineteenth century for catching and drying shrimp.

 

“President Lyndon B. Johnson flew to New Orleans the following day and quickly produced a federal outline for aid and rebuilding infrastructure. As a result of Betsy, the Corps of Engineers was authorized to rebuild the levees to sixteen feet – high enough, it was believed, to protect the city from flooding associated with another category three hurricane.” (Keim, Barry D. and Robert A. Muller. Hurricanes of the Gulf of Mexico. LSU Press, 2009, pp. 84-86.)

 

NWSFO New Orleans/Baton Rouge:  “September 9, 1965: Hurricane Betsy

 

“The New Orleans area was still recovering from the affects of Hurricane Hilda of October 1964. Concerns were growing about the city’s vulnerability to a hurricane moving just west of the Mississippi River towards the Greater New Orleans area. During the latter days of August 1965, a hurricane was moving across the Atlantic Ocean and began to make a seemingly harmless curve well of the Florida Atlantic coast, which would ultimately see the storm go out to sea. However, Betsy had different ideas and made a complete loop some 350 miles east of St. Augustine, Florida and was now heading south towards the Grand Bahamas.

 

“On September 7^th, Betsy began to move due west and crossed extreme south Florida and the Florida Keys as a Category 3 hurricane. Betsy then accelerated to the northwest and moved into Barataria Bay on the evening of the 9^th. This placed New Orleans on the worst side of the storm and sending the storm surge up the Mississippi River and into Lake Pontchartrain.

 

“A storm surge of 10 feet caused New Orleans to suffer its worst flooding since the hurricane of 1947 and proved inadequacies in the levee protection system surrounding the area. The resulting levee improvements spared the city from similar flooding in 1969 when Hurricane Camille impacted the area. Betsy claimed 81 lives and was the first United States hurricane to produce over $1 billion damage, thus becoming known as Billion Dollar Betsy. The affects of Betsy were also felt well inland after landfall. The potent hurricane moved up the Mississippi River into Baton Rouge, where maximum winds were measured as East-Northeast at 58 mph with gusts to 92 mph.” (NWS, Top Weather Events…20^th Century…New Orleans/Baton Rouge, 2009 update.)

 

Roth:  “September 9-10^th, 1965 (Betsy): Hurricane Betsy, after producing great damage in Florida while meandering westward in the Florida Straits, accelerated to an unusually fast forward motion of 22 mph through the Gulf of Mexico, came ashore Grand Isle as a major hurricane where winds gusted to 160 mph. The sea level pressure dropped to 28.00″ at Grand Isle and Houma, which up to that time was the lowest pressure measured within the Bayou state. Port Eads gauged winds of 136 mph with gusts to 145 mph. Winds gusted to 125 mph and the pressure fell to 28.75″ at New Orleans on the 9th. Winds gusted above 100 mph across much of southeast Louisiana, and a stripe of over five inches of rain fell along and east of its track as far north as Tallula. Hurricane-force gusts reached as far west as Lafayette and as far inland as St. Landry parish. Alexandria and Monroe experienced wind gusts in excess of 60 mph. More than 27,000 homes were destroyed statewide by Betsy.

 

“A ten foot storm surge was produced causing New Orleans its worst flooding in decades…enduring days underwater. Water depths reached up to nine feet deep in eastern New Orleans and Chalmette. Grand Isle saw a 15.7 foot surge wash over its northern coast. Practically all buildings in Grand Isle were either severely damaged or destroyed. Across Louisiana, 2.4 million acres was inundated by the storm….

 

“Storm surges were seen as far east as Mobile. Hundreds of ships, tugs, and barges were sunk or driven aground from New Orleans to Baton Rouge. The Mississippi river rose more than 10 feet at New Orleans and crested at 15.5 feet at Baton Rouge. Following the storm, the levee was elevated to 12 feet by the Orleans Levee Board. Offshore and coastal oil installations, along with public utilities, reported unprecedented damage. The highest rainfall amount measured within Louisiana was 12.21” in New Orleans at Callender Field. Fall crops were in ruin, particularly sugar cane, cotton, and pecans. Many livestock drowned. Damage throughout southeast Louisiana totaled $1.4 billion and 81 lives were lost, 58 of which in Louisiana. This was the largest loss in life in the state from a tropical cyclone since Audrey eight years before.”  (Roth, David. Louisiana Hurricane History. Camp Springs, MD: National Weather Service, 4-8-2010.)

 

Roth, 2003: “Betsy came ashore Grand Isle as a major hurricane. Winds gusted to 125 mph…. Port Eads gauged winds to 136 mph.  A 10 foot storm surge was produced causing New Orleans its worst flooding in decades… but they were lucky compared to Grand Isle, which saw a 15.7 foot surge on its northern coast and wind gusts to 160 m.p.h.. Wind gusting to 100 mph covered Southeast Louisiana. Winds of hurricane force spread as far west as Lafayette and as far inland as St. Landry parish. Even Alexandria and Monroe saw winds in excess of 60 mph….

 

“Storm surges were seen as far east as Mobile. Hundreds of ships, tugs, and barges were sunk or driven aground from New Orleans to Baton Rouge. Following the storm, the levee was elevated to 12 feet by the Orleans Levee Board. Offshore and coastal oil installations, along with public utilities, reported unprecedented damage. Fall crops were in ruins and many livestock drowned. Damage throughout Southeast Louisiana totaled $1.4 billion and 81 lives were lost, 58 of which in Louisiana.”  (Roth, David.  Louisiana Hurricane History: Late 20^th Century. Lake Charles, LA: National Weather Service Forecast Office Lake Charles, LA, NOAA, 6-4-2003 modification.)

 

USACE: “Betsy inundated over 5,000 square miles in Louisiana, including highly populated urban areas in Orleans and St. Bernard Parishes…. [p. 4]  “In her trip through Louisiana, Betsy left 81 dead, over 17,600 injured, and caused the evacuation of 250,000 persons to storm shelters….” [p. 5]  (United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), New Orleans District. Hurricane Betsy, September 8-11, 1965: After Action Report. July 1966, pp. 4-.)

 

U.S. Weather Bureau:  “Heavy rainfall, generally 4 to 7 inches, occurred over most of the lower Mississippi and lower Ohio Valley on Friday or Saturday. The total rainfall for Friday, September 10 ranged from 3 to 5 inches in Louisiana, Mississippi and Arkansas. Saturday, September 11 rainfall totals ranged from 2 to 4 inches in western Mississippi and Tennessee, Eastern Arkansas, Southern Illinois and Indiana and Western Ohio. Sunday, September 12 the total rainfall caused by the remnants of Betsy ranged from 1 to 2 inches in Eastern Tennessee and Kentucky, Ohio, Western Pennsylvania, Northern Virginia, and Maryland.

 

“As Hurricane Betsy moved across Louisiana, two tornadoes occurred. One tornado struck Theodore (10 miles southwest of Mobile), Alabama, about midnight on September 9. The other tornado occurred 6 miles west of Walnut (50 miles north northwest of Tupelo), Mississippi, at 6:30 PM on September 10. destroying one residence.

 

“Hurricane Betsy was the most destructive of record on the Louisiana coast. Although the coastal area was 90% evacuated with 114 of a million people having evacuated their homes, the first estimate indicates 53 deaths in Louisiana. Several communities along the Mississippi River below New Orleans were wiped out by wind and water. Approximately 1,000 homes were destroyed and 150,000 homes will require major or minor repairs. There was considerable damage to the sugar cane, cotton, rice and pecan crops in Louisiana, Mississippi, Southern Alabama and Arkansas. Oil and utility company losses will be high in Southern Louisiana. The damages are severe along the coast of Mississippi and in Southeastern Louisiana including the mouth of the Mississippi, the Delta area, New Orleans, Pontchartrain Lake area and Baton Rouge. It is felt that total losses in these areas may range between one half and one billion dollars.”  (U.S. Weather Bureau. Hurricane Betsy August 27-September 12, 1965 (Preliminary Report with Advisories and Bulletins Issued). Washington, DC: U. S. Department of Commerce, 9-15-1965, p. 7.)

Newspapers at the time

 

Sep 7 AP:  “Miami, Fla. (AP) – Hurricane Betsy sat astride Nassau today, giving the world-famed resort city a terrible beating with 135 mile-an-hour winds and massive tides, and south Florida was warned that it might be in for days of anxiety…”  (News Tribune, Fort Pierce, FL. “Betsy Batters Nassau; Florida Still in Danger.” 9-7-1965, p. 1.)

 

Sep 8, UPI:  “Miami Beach (UPI) – A vicious dame with the deceptively innocent name of Betsy has turned this famed resort where I vacationed just two weeks ago into shrieking chaos. And when dawn broke today she stepped up her slashing, battering attack until there was no doubt that, despite her name, Betsy was no lady.

 

“Tuesday night [Sep 7] when Betsy was girding for her first attack on the mainland, UP1 photographer Joe Holloway and I drove toward the beach. But Betsy had beaten us there. High winds, which had pushed us around on the MacArthur Causeway, already were poking out large plate glass windows and leveling sturdy palm trees. Almost instantly, it seemed, the streets were littered with debris. So was the air. A television photographer kept digging at flecks of glass that had been hurled into his skin.

 

“The mood in the lobby at the Deauville Hotel ranged from apprehensive to festive. Several hours later, when large plate glass windows shattered under the force of Betsy’s crashing winds, it changed abruptly to fear.

 

“While the winds howled. Officer Sherwood Griscom leaped from a parked police car and streaked toward a shadowy figure on Collins Ave. Within minutes a shot rang out and another few minutes later Griscom hauled in the first looter by the nape of the neck.

 

“Betsy turned Miami Beach’s posh Lincoln Road shopping district into a witch’s bowling alley. Apparently she used the giant, concrete flower pots — five feet tall when standing – as bowling balls down the once beautiful strollers’ mall. The pots caromed down the street, shattering glass-enclosed plant displays. The winds toppled the ornamental trees or ripped away their foliage and cleaned the buildings of nearly everything that stuck out from the walls.

 

“The rising waters make a boat more useful for sightseeing this shrieking, gray water-filled morning than a police patrol car. The ocean waters are pilling onto oceanfront Collins Ave. and policemen say there are quite a few fish, including red snapper floating in with the tide.

 

“There is heavy damage everywhere and it is going to take days to count it all.”  (Daniel, Leon (UPI). “Eyewitness Tells of Betsy’s Destructiveness.” Brownsville Herald, TX. 9-8-1965, p. 1.)

 

Sep 8, UPI:  “Miami (UPI) – Huge Hurricane Betsy slammed through southern Florida with 140 mile an hour winds and heavy rain today and then headed into the Gulf of Mexico, leaving the Gold Coast a shambles.

 

“Three deaths were attributed to the mighty storm and at least 15 persons injured. A freighter ran aground near Palm Beach, and the Coast Guard was looking for nine persons who were on houseboats. At least 500 persons were reported marooned at various high points along the flooded east coast of Florida.

 

“The ‘eye’ of Hurricane Betsy ripped through the Florida Keys some 40 miles south of Miami at daybreak, churning out of the slate gray Atlantic Ocean after days of keeping the mainland guessing where she would strike….” (Brownsville Herald, TX. Betsy Churns Into Gulf After Battering Florida.” 9-8-1965, p. 1.)

 

Sep 9, AP:  “New Orleans (AP) – A great exodus from low-lying coastal areas shaped up today as Hurricane Betsy, fresh from an attack on Florida, advanced on the Gulf Coast. Over 100,000 residents were expected to pack cars and trailers today and head out of south Louisiana and east Texas, away from possible killer tides and 140-mile-an-hour winds.

 

“The Weather Bureau urged them to evacuate as soon as possible before escape routes were cut off by rising waters. The bureau hoisted emergency hurricane warnings at 6 a.m. from the mouth of the Mississippi River west to Galveston, Tex….

 

“The trickle of evacuees started at Cameron, the little town in western Louisiana near the Texas border, where Hurricane Audrey killed 500 people in June 1957. Most of them died in surging tides which swept the coastal area.

 

“Betsy left most of the Miami-Fort Lauderdale – Florida Keys area without power and with ruined crops, flooded homes….

 

“Three lives also were lost. This was considered a relatively light toll in view of the 6-foot tides, second only to the record 10-foot tides of 1926 that ended Florida’s great land boom….

 

“Betsy took all Wednesday to pass over the tip of the Florida peninsula. The high onshore winds pushed six-foot tides over low-lying areas, swamping Miami’s posh Key Biscayne with its expensive villas under three feet of water. Three barges broke loose and made the only causeway to the island impassable. Amphibious trucks were used to rescue the several hundred stranded residents who finally agreed officials had been right when they advised them to leave before the storm. ‘The water came down this street like the Mississippi River on a rampage,’ said one resident.

 

“Down along the chain of sand-spits that are the Florida Keys, several of the islets were completely immersed. At Sugar Loaf Key 15 miles north of Key West, water was flooded up to five feet in places and several large shrimp boats sank in the harbor. Key Largo was whiplashed by both sides of the storm as its eye passed over.

 

“President Johnson ordered two officials of the Office of Emergency Planning; to inspect the Florida damage beginning today.” (Lake Charles American Press, LA. “Thousands Flee Onrushing Betsy.” 9-9-1976, p. 1.)

 

Sep 10:  “New Orleans (AP) – This famous, old river city was battered to a wind-blown, soggy junkyard after a final attack today by Hurricane Betsy. Communications and power were left in a snarl by 115 mile-an-hour winds during the early moaning hours.

 

“Three persons died during the storm, bringing Betsy’s toll to nine after its 14-41y, 2,500-mile voyage of destruction.

 

“Heavy damage was also reported in Baton Rouge and the Mississippi gulf coast around Gulfport. Numerous phone failures slowed reports from the Bayou area downriver which was first hit by the storm’s top 145 m.p.h. winds and suffered the most from its muddy, 6-foot tides. Mayor Victor Schiro said he would ask that the city be declared a disaster area. Residents were told to boil drinking water after power failure at the city purification. But the urgent warning was difficult to transmit in a city where 80 per cent of its power was out….

 

“Meanwhile, Betsy, the culprit, had passed over 150 miles inland where her winds faded to below hurricane strength. The storm still brought soaking rains, however, to a wide area of northern Louisiana and Mississippi.

 

“Damage was heavy. Large sheets of twisted tin roofing lay in the city’s streets. Shop windows were smashed and 650 national guardsmen were on duty to forestall looting. Canal Street looked like the morning after Mardi Gras, only worse. Billboards had been blown from the tops of buildings. Street light stanchions were twisted grotesquely. Street lights had crashed to the street.

 

“The hurricane tore five ocean going vessels adrift in the Mississippi. They smashed into each other, wharves and tug boats. Three were finally secured. Two tugs with a total of 17 or 18 persons aboard radioed distress calls to the Coast Guard which called in extra helicopters and airplanes to aid in search and rescue. There was even a call from a caboose abandoned for some un-explained reason on a Lake Pontchartrain railroad bridge.

 

“As winds and rain lightened the almost 250,000 evacuees prepared to return to their homes, mostly in low coastal areas, to see what th legacy of Betsy had been.

 

“The reported dead in Betsy’s third and final meeting with land were all in Louisiana; a woman drowned and another dead of a heart attack in New Orleans and a man was found dead in a riverside boat landing in Baton Rouge. The other six deaths occurred in Florida.

 

“At Gulfport, Miss., much of the fish industry facilities were washed away. Wade Guice, Civil Defense director for Harrison County which includes much of that state’s coastline, said damage could run to $10 million.

 

“Mayor-President W. W. Dumas estimated the storm’s destruction in Baton Rouge at $500,000 but it would be days before an exact accounting could be made there or anywhere along the Mississippi River and the coast where Betsy struck and then faded.” (Lake Charles American Press, LA. “Betsy Leaves Havoc in New Orleans Area. Storm Claims Three Lives.” 9-10-1965, p. 1.)

 

Sep 11:  “New Orleans – (UPI) — Hurricane Betsy, now only a storm, swirled north into Arkansas Friday leaving behind a growing toll of death and destruction in New Orleans, Baton Rouge and along the Gulf Coast.  Authorities counted at least 14 deaths in Louisiana, along with

eight killed by the storm earlier in Florida….

 

“Acres of New Orleans were flooded at one time. Three thousand householders and their families were trapped by flood waters.

 

“A late report from the devastated Gulf Coast said the Louisiana resort town of Grand Isle was 95 per cent destroyed.

 

“Some 81 die-hard residents who refused to join the exodus of 250,000 other residents in Louisiana and Mississippi were safe at a Coast Guard station.

 

“The little community of Shell Beach, on Lake Borgne east of New Orleans, was reported wiped out by wind and water. Its 350 residents were removed to safety Thursday night.

 

“Most of the storm victims drowned. Coast Guard planes sighted two men dead aboard drifting boats. Another man was dead aboard a third vessel, the Coast Guard reported.

 

“Mrs. Joan Mayeaux, 25, of New Orleans, who drowned, was reported carrying a baby nephew. The child was not found and was feared dead.

 

“A crewman was lost and presumed drowned aboard a sunken ferryboat. An unidentified man was killed by a collapsing house in Marrero, La. Two persons died in a two-car crash on rain-whipped U. S. 80 near Delhi, La. One man was found dead in a shack in a storm-battered Baton Rouge….”  (The Light, San Antonio, TX. Betsy Leaves Death Trail in La.” 9-11-1965, p. 1.)

 

Sep 12:  “New Orleans, (AP) — The full tragedy of Hurricane Betsy unfolded grimly Saturday as the death loll rose past 50 victims and damages soared into uncounted millions The coroner feared 150 to 200 lives may have been lost in New Orleans alone.

 

“At President Johnson’s command, Army and Navy forces joined weary, groggy Louisiana rescue squads in a desperate struggle to find and care for survivors of Betsy’s onslaught.

 

“A ragtag armada of boats worked in the area of gravest concern — along the Mississippi River and an industrial canal east of New Orleans. This sprawling suburb of more than 3,000 homes was ravaged by flood waters from a broken levee. The onrushing waters were a burial ground for men, women and children who failed to scramble fast enough to safety on roof tops and in trees early Friday [Sep 10] when Betsy roared in from the Gulf with 150 mile an hour winds.

 

“Louisiana already counted 38 hurricane dead, most of them victims of flooding here. The Orleans Parish County’s coroner’s office had 30 bodies with more coming in steadily…. ‘At the rate we’re going, the death toll will run between 150 to 200 persons,’ said Chetta [N.O. Coroner].

 

“The death toll, first believed low, rose rapidly as rescue boats pushed through the flooded areas. Chetta said bodies were spotted, but not brought in at once. ‘The boat operators are mainly worried about the living right now, and rightly so,’ he said. He explained that rescue teams in boats cruising the flooded areas can only tie up floating bodies to trees, rooftops and posts for recovery later after the living have been evacuated. Only now, nearly 48 hours after Betsy swept past, did the magnitude of the disaster begin to emerge.

 

“The mass evacuation of more than a quarter-million people ahead of the storm kept the death count below that of past hurricanes But the devastation and human misery which awed President Johnson on a personal inspection here Friday night was unmatched in Louisiana’s storm-scarred history….

 

“The federal government rushed emergency help – men, food, medical supplies – t help this beleaguered city, its resources taxed to the utmost in rescuing and caring for flood refugees. The naval air station here opened old World War II buildings to house refugees who overflowed city shelters. The Army flew in field kitchens to help feed the swelling number of refugees.

 

“Thousands of refugees from St. Bernard and Plaquemines parishes – down river from New Orleans – poured into evacuation centers here. Much of these low-lying parishes were under up to 12 to 14 feet of water.

 

“Adding to the misery of the rescue workers and the victims was the threat of bites from deadly water moccasins – blown in from the bayous and swamps.

 

“In addition to the dead in Louisiana, Betsy took seven lives in Florida, four in Arkansas and one in Mississippi.”  (Lake Charles American Press, LA Tom Dygard (AP). “N.O. Storm Dead May Reach 200.” 9-12-1965, p. 1.)

 

Sep 13, Bill Crider (AP):  “New Orleans (AP) – Truckloads of bodies from outlying flood areas were expected at the New Orleans coroner’s office today as the sad, methodical process of gathering the dead from Hurricane Betsy continued….

 

“The coroner’s office already had more than 50 bodies, many unidentified. Most drowned in floods in suburban areas on the southern side of the city. Scores were ‘missing.’

 

“The Red Cross said it has 25,000 evacuees in two big shelters and expected many of them to remain a week or two.

 

“A new emergency arose at Baton Rouge, 85 miles up the Mississippi River, where a barge loaded with chlorine was sunk in the river, posing a threat of poisonous gas should the barge be punctured.

 

“The damage toll left by Hurricane Betsy’s winds- 150 m.p.h. near the coast, 125 m.p.h. in New Orleans and 94 m.p.h. at Baton Rouge- remained a matter of guesswork with estimates at about a billion dollars.”  (Daily Star, Hammond, LA. “Hurricane Death Toll is Climbing.” 9-13-1965, 1.)

 

Sep 13:  “There were few, if any, in this community who were not affected by the ravaging Hurricane Betsy. And a solid weekend of little sleep, lots of work has helped to restore many of the necessary services, corrected much of the dam age in our community. The cooperation of our citizenry was splendid. Much work remains to be done.

 

“But only part of Betsy’s challenge has been met. For in nearby New Orleans thousands of homeless refugees face uncertain futures. Their immediate need is protection of life and family. Gov. John McKeithen appealed Sunday to Louisianans with undamaged homes to open their doors to these refugees of the storm. ‘From what I saw in New Orleans Saturday,’  the governor commented, ‘I couldn’t go to sleep in this comfortable mansion.’ And with that, he dispatched an assistant to bring refugees directly to the governor’s mansion.

 

“The governor’s request was a simple one. No complicated plans. Just arrange to bring homeless humans into your homes until some stability has been reached In a grave situation. We hope that many of these suffering families and individuals will find shelter in our community….You’ll sleep a lot better tonight.”  (Daily Star, Hammond, LA. “Star Editorial. Betsy’s Challenge.” 9-13-1965, 1.)

 

Sep 14:  “New Orleans, La. (AP)… today…the New Orleans coroner slashed his estimate of the probable death toll.

 

“The White House dispatched $2 million as a token start toward helping rejuvenate the tragedy-stricken state where 52 were known dead. Plans were afoot to convert Louisiana’s antipoverty program into a war on Hurricane Betsy. A million dollars was earmarked to put the Youth Corps to work cleaning up the debris. Sixty freight car-loads of surplus foods were sent by the Department of Agriculture….

 

“Coroner Nicholas Chetta, confessing ‘an embarrassing situation,’ told newsmen late Monday night that he had been misled by poor communications into preparing for several hundred dead from downriver Plaquemines Parish. Chetta said he finally reached the isolated parish by telephone at 10 p.m. and only then could Plaquemines authorities tell him the true story: only 20 – not 200 to 250 – bodies would be sent to New Orleans today for the coroner’s care. Chetta said he did not know how the rumors started about 200 to 250 deaths. ‘This was probably promulgated by an unofficial official,’ the official said. Chetta said the information was relayed to him by amateur radio operators….

 

“The Red Cross raised its damage total to 1,029 homes destroyed, 26,352 with major damage, 133,115 with minor damage, 680 trailer homes destroyed, 1,147 heavy damage, 2,050 small businesses destroyed or heavily damaged, 1,147 pleasure and commercial boats destroyed or damaged….” (Lake Charles American Press, LA. “Coroner Slashes Death Estimate.” 9-14-1965, p. 1.)

 

Sep 15:  “New Orleans, La. (AP) — Giant Hurricane Betsy, which once seemed destined to blow

itself out over the open Atlantic only to arc back and smash a billion-dollar blow at Louisiana, apparently was the most destructive tropical storm since records have been kept. Gov. John J. McKeithen said Louisiana has “suffered a disaster comparable to an earthquake” and President Johnson prodded federal disaster officials to work with state leaders “without regard to red tape or hours.”

 

“Military divers near Baton Rouge still searched for a sunken barge loaded with 600 tons of lethal chlorine, swamped by the Massive storm.

 

“Betsy churned across Louisiana out of the Gulf of Mexico Thursday, blasting with 140-mile-an-hour winds and causing tidal waves 30 feet high to spill from the Mississippi River.

 

“The known death toll has reached 74 — 62 in Louisiana, 7 in Florida, 4 in Arkansas and 1 in Mississippi. “There is no question but that we will find many more bodies after flood waters recede,” McKeithen said Tuesday at a New Orleans news conference.

 

“Upriver near Baton Rouge, military rescue teams were to begin dredging today along a 37-mile-long segment of Mississippi River channel to find out if the potentially dangerous barge is in the channel. Coast Guard Capt. Russell Waesche said late Tuesday night that if the chlorine barge is not in the channel, river traffic stacked up for miles due to search operations can resume. He said divers would continue to search alongside the channel for the sunken vessel with all equipment at hand, including sophisticated sonar gear. The hurricane’s winds ripped the barge from its mooring Friday and it foundered, along with scores of others.

 

“Gov. McKeithen, took a shirt a shirt-sleeve tour of the stricken portion of the state from New Orleans to the Gulf Tuesday and then told reporters: ‘I expect that the damage to this state will exceed a billion dollars.’….

 

“The Insurance Information Institute said the costliest previous storm on record was a November 1950 windstorm that dealt $173.9 million worth of damage to the northeastern United States.

 

“Betsy’s estimated insurable losses of more than a quarter of a billion dollars easily eclipse the previous high for a tropical storm, the $129.7 blow inflicted on the northeast by Hurricane Carol in August 1954.

 

“The greatest insured loss of the past five years was the $100 million caused when Hurricane

Carla swamped the Texas and Louisiana coasts in September 1961.

 

“New Orleans was returning to near normal conditions today but the Red Cross said 17,378 persons still were being fed, housed and in some cases clothed in refugee centers.”  (Lake Charles American Press, LA. “Soaring Damage Count May Rank Betsy as Worst Hurricane Ever.” 9-15-1965, p. 1.)

 

Sep 16:  “New Orleans, La. (AP) — Authorities continued a house-to-house search today for bodies in eastern New Orleans as flood waters from Hurricane Betsy – which unleashed its fury a week ago — slowly receded.

 

“A similar operation was under way in neighboring St. Bernard Parish, where 3 to 4 feet of water remained in some low-lying sections. Police sealed off a 300-square block area after Dr. Rodney Jung, city health officer, said it was necessary because “conditions have deteriorated to an alarming degree.” A nauseating stench permeated the area, which contained green scum, floating garbage and hundreds of animal carcasses.

 

“Communications with the devastated regions of lower Plaquemines Parish, 60 miles down the Mississippi River from New Orleans, remained out and there was no late word on conditions. Earlier, Plaquemines officials said it would take 30-60 days alone to restore fresh water facilities.

 

“The Mississippi River around Baton Rouge remained closed to shipping as a search went on for

a barge loaded with 600 tons of deadly chlorine. The barge sank during the hurricane.

 

“The list of known and presumed dead climbed to 68 in Louisiana with another 12 victims reported from Florida, Mississippi and Arkansas. In addition, the New Orleans’ coroner had more than 100 names on a list of missing persons and there were still numerous persons unaccounted for in St. Bernard and Plaquemines Parishes.

 

“The herculean task of cleaning up debris and repairing damaged homes and businesses was in full swing. Utility service was gradually being restored in all but the sections still under water…”  (Lake Charles American Press, LA. “Search Pressed for Dead in Flood Areas.” 9-16-1965, p. 1.)

 

Sep 17:  “Baton Rouge, La. (AP) — Army Engineers started making plans today to raise a barge containing lethal chlorine from the bottom of the muddy Mississippi River. It sank during Hurricane Betsy a week ago. “The barge is safe and there is no danger of any kind,” said Col. Thomas J. Bowen. Army district engineer in New Orleans. The barge was located Thursday night after a five-day search — ordered by President Johnson. It is in 60 feet of water near the Louisiana State University campus south of Baton Rouge….

 

“Two more bodies were found in New Orleans, raising the known dead to 70 — plus 12 in other states….

 

“More than 10,000 persons remain homeless in the New Orleans area….” (Lake Charles American Press, LA. “Efforts Underway for Raising Sunken Barge.” 9-17-1965, 1.)

 

Sep 19-20:  “New Orleans (AP) — The death toll continues to inch upward as Hurricane Betsy’s flood waters recede and salvage and cleanup workers move in. Two drowned New Orleans residents were found in a city flood area Sunday [Sep 19], boosting the state’s total to 78.

 

“The National Guard had reduced its emergency force to 291 today. There were 2,700 Guardsmen in disaster areas after the hurricane struck 10 days ago. The Red Cross reported 7,614 evacuees remained in 11 shelters with another 8,000 being fed by mobile kitchen units….” (Daily Star, Hammond. LA. “2 More Found. Betsy’s Death Count Reaches 78 in State.” 9-20-1965, p. 1.)

 

Sep 20:  “(Editor’s Note: Bill Graziano of Hammond has just returned from the hurricane- stricken area of Plaquemines Parish. Here he describes the destruction and weariness of police, military men and residents as they go about the task of trying to restore order….”

 

“Hammond — The waters of the Mississippi River flowed north on the night Hurricane Betsy’s savage winds ripped through the lower Mississippi Delta, dealing destructive blows to the small communities a-long the levees of this historic river.

 

“It was during the height of the storm that a wall of water breached the mud levees spilling tons of turbulent water into the lowlands. It ripped homes from their foundations, picked them up like toys and crushed them in a thundering roar against other houses or deposited them along the highway and onto the Illinois Central railroad track snaking its way along the highway to Buras.

 

“I was ordered by my commanding officer, Lt. Col. Raymond Schafer of the Hammond Squadron of the Civil Air Patrol, to investigate the ravaged area to see if the Squadron might be of some assistance. It was on Wednesday afternoon, Sept. 15, that I boarded one of the air national guard trucks which was to make the long trip to the disaster area with a cargo of electric generators. A convoy of five trucks left Hammond at 5 p.m. After a run of 3½  hours through the dark night we reached Buras. It was a night I will long remember.

 

“In the blinding lights of the truck’s headlights we could see shattered homes and downed power lines and telephone poles. At one point along the highway, telephone pole after telephone pole lay in splinters along the roadway while power poles either lay on the ground or hung at a precarious angle across the highway. At times the truck had to swerve to the left side of the road to pass under the poles.

 

“On reaching Buras we were ordered to stand by until morning. It was a dark night and the moon sped across the heavens behind low drifting clouds. The air that I breathed that night was not the air I had breathed on my many fishing trips to Buras, Venice, and Empire. The odor could not be described.

 

“At about 10 o’clock that night I slipped onto the seat of one of the trucks to get a little sleep, but sleep would not come, so I walked…to the Buras High School. There the Civil Defense had set up headquarters. Civil Defense workers milled about the long halls of the school or sat on the steps leading to the upper floors. Men of the Louisiana National Guard passed through the halls going to or returning from patrols. I was surprised to find many were from the Hammond base.

 

“Hot coffee and ice water was on tap in the school cafeteria. There most of the men were sipping black coffee. Their faces were haggard and their eyes were bloodshot from long hours of work without sleep. I asked one of those men how many hours of sleep he had had since Betsy’s winds had ripped through the area. “Maybe 8 or 10,” he answered.

 

“I entered the civil defense radio room which had been set up in one of the classrooms off the south hall of the school. A radio operator sat at one of the transmitters nearby that continuously blared out a steady stream of messages linking the many civil defense stations throughout the entire disaster area. During the night a woman radio operator stationed st Port Sulphur tried desperately to raise the radio operator at Venice, which was still cut off from the outside world. Her efforts proved futile. The Buras radio operator tried several times, but without success. The operator may have fallen asleep after long hours at his post or perhaps his equipment may have broken down.

 

“….At about midnight a young man, slender and of medium height, looking years older than his 26 or 27 years, slipped exhausted into a chair next to mine….`Where were you during the storm?’ I asked….‘Across the river,’ he answered. He gestured with his right hand toward the river to the east….‘I’m an orange grower. I have a small grove across the river.’ ‘Any crop left?’ ‘About a third.’ ‘Why didn’t you leave?’ I asked. ‘I didn’t think it was going to be as bad as it was.’ ‘Was there much damage to your home?’….‘Furniture is all gone and most of the livestock has died.’ ‘Where did all this water come from?’ ‘From the river, I never dreamt that the Mississippi River would flow north, but it did.’ ‘Which do you think was the most destructive, the wind or the water?’ ‘The water, I guess’….’Was there much water in your home?’ ‘About six or seven feet.’ ‘How did the water enter your home?’ ‘Under the door, at first, and then through broken windows. It came up In a rush. The furniture began to float around the house and up to the ceiling.’ ‘What did you and your family do?’ ‘I sent my family to New Orleans before the storm.’ ‘What did you do when the water filled your home?’ ‘I climbed into the attic.’ ‘How long did you stay in the attic?’ ‘Until the next day when my neighbor picked me up in a boat.’….

 

“As I waited for the convoy to make its return trip to Hammond I talked with other Buras citizens. I asked one man if there were any deaths. Thirty was the last count as of Monday. There were six in one family alone; five colored children and the mother. The mother had looped a rope around each of her children and then tied the end around her waist. This was how they were found. They were literally tied together in death….” (Daily Star, Hammond. LA (Bill Graziano, CAP[37] Info. Officer). “The Night the Mighty Mississippi River Flowed North.” 9-20-1965, 1.)

 

Sep 22:  “New Orleans (AP) – A Red Cross official says Hurricane Betsy’s destruction brought out ‘the single greatest outpouring of volunteer help’ in the history of United States disaster relief. Robert Shea, national vice chairman in charge of disaster relief, said 510 Red Cross staff workers summoned to the area were supported by more than 10,000 volunteers at the peak of relief efforts. In addition, said Shea, contributions total $1½ million in relief goods and more than $410,000 in cash — including $140,000 from the Torch Fund of Detroit and $35,000 from the United Fund of Dallas.

 

“Betsy hit the New Orleans area 13 days ago. The area death toll: at least 78….Some 5,300 refugees remain in 10 shelters in the area. At the peak, there were about 40,000 but many have gone home to repair or try to rebuild.

 

“The House Public Works flood control subcommittee arrives here Friday to inspect areas of heavy damage southeast of the city and in the Mississippi Rive lowlands downstream to the Gulf.

The subcommittee holds hearings here Saturday and in Baton Rouge Sunday. The governors of Alabama, Florida and Mississippi have been invited to attend. Rep. F. Edward Hebert, D. La., said the hearings will not deal with individual relief but will concentrate on obtaining information which could lead to future flood control work.

 

“The latest damage report was that Betsy nearly wiped out the Louisiana oyster industry. Joe Hair, director of the state Wild Life and Fisheries Commission, said most oyster canning plants were destroyed and silt killed 95 per cent of the oysters in the Grand Isle area. The industry was largely concentrated in the strip of south Louisiana hardest hit by the storm.

 

“Shrimp were ‘running better than usual’ but lack of power prevented canning, though some shrimp canneries survived the storm. The state’s income from shrimping and oysters has been estimated at $200 million a year.” (Lake Charles American Press, LA. “Volunteer Help Greatest in History During Betsy.” 9-22-1965, p. 18.)

 

Sep 23:  “New Orleans (AP) – Officials. blame a 26-foot-high tidal surge, pushed by 125 mile an

hour winds of Hurricane Betsy, for the major flooding in eastern New Orleans. William Wunderlich, Army Engineers staff member, and Charles Erdman, Orleans Parish Civil Defense director, said Wednesday the tidal swell rather than the Mississippi River-Gulf Outlet caused the flooding. The outlet is a direct tidewater channel from New Orleans to the Gulf of Mexico.

 

“Meanwhile, congressional action to prevent future flooding in the New Orleans area from Lake Pontchartrain moved ahead Wednesday as the House approved $56 million for a levee system project. Total cost of the flood control project is estimated at close to $85 million, with local interests to provide about $28 million. The project includes extension of levees along Lake Pontchartrain and the Intracoastal Waterway, and a new levee along the Mississippi River-Gulf Outlet near Chalmette in neighboring St. Bernard Parish. Reps. Hale Boggs and Edward Hebert, Louisiana Democrats, in a statement from Washington, said the project would mean ‘’the citizens of southeast Louisiana can expect the finest flood protection of any area in the country.’

 

“Floodwaters from the Sept. 9-10 hurricane poured into a 300-square block section of eastern New Orleans, putting some areas under 12 feet of water. Some 50 persons drowned in the New Orleans floods.

 

“Wunderlich and Erdmann said the bulk of the floodwaters swept into New Orleans from Breton and Chandeleur sounds east of the city. They said ‘We have determined that it was this terrific surge of water that caused the flooding and not the ship channel. That channel did not appreciably add water to the flooded areas.’ Erdmann said the center of the hurricane’s eye passed over the Lockport-Valentine area, 20 miles south-southwest of New Orleans, near midnight on Sept. 9. He said the winds drove a high surge of water up from the two sounds on the east Louisiana coast and across Plaquemines and St. Bernard parishes into the lower sections of New Orleans below the Industrial Canal….”  (Daily Star, Hammond, LA. “Floods Blamed on 26-Foot Tidal Surge. River-Gulf Outlet Cleared.” 9-23-1965, p. 1.)

 

Oct 2:  “New Orleans (UPI) – Hurricane Betsy’s confirmed death toll reached 75 over the week-end with the discovery of another flood victim’s body. The body of Mrs. Eva Jackson, 66, was found in her home Saturday [Oct 2] by a sister, who had been living with relatives since the storm. Her home was in eastern New Orleans, where flood waters poured through three breaks in the Industrial Canal levee and covered a 300-square block residential area.”  (Ruston Daily Leader, LA. “Betsy Toll Reaches 75.” 10-6-1965, p. 5.)

 

Oct 6:  “New Orleans (AP) – Sheriff’s deputies found the body of an apparent Hurricane Betsy victim near Sunrise, La., Wednesday. The coroner’s office here said the body was so badly decomposed its sex and race could not be immediately determined. The body brought to six the number of persons known dead in Plaquemines Parish as a result of the storm.”  (Lake Charles American Press, LA. “Betsy Victim’s Body is Found Near Sunrise.” 10-7-1965, p. 35.)

 

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Bragg, Marion. Historic Names and Places on the Lower Mississippi River. Vicksburg, MS:  Department of the Army, Corps of Engineers, U.S. Army, Mississippi River Commission, 1977.  Accessed 1-1-2014 at:

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Brownsville Herald, TX. Betsy Churns Into Gulf After Battering Florida.” 9-8-1965, p. 1. Accessed at: http://newspaperarchive.com/fullpagepdfviewer?img=74402755&sterm

 

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Curella, Gene. “Hurricane Betsy: Lauderdale Starts Digging Out.” Sun-Sentinel, FL. 9-9-1965. At: http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/southflorida/sfl-9.9.1965hurricane1,0,1528271.story

 

Daily Star, Hammond. LA. “2 More Found. Betsy’s Death Count Reaches 78 in State.” 9-20-1965, p. 1. At: http://newspaperarchive.com/fullpagepdfviewer?img=199997904&sterm

 

Daily Star, Hammond, LA. “Floods Blamed on 26-Foot Tidal Surge. River-Gulf Outlet Cleared.” 9-23-1965, 1. At: http://newspaperarchive.com/fullpagepdfviewer?img=199997923&sterm

 

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Federal Emergency Management Agency. “Hurricane Betsy,” p. 1-24 in: Hurricane Ike in Texas and Louisiana (Mitigation Assessment Team Report. Building Performance Observations, Recommendations, and Technical Guidance (FEMA P-757). Washington, DC: April 2009 (also NHC 2009 Release).

 

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Jarrell, Jerry D., Max Mayfield, Edward N. Rappaport, Christopher W. Landsea.  The Deadliest, Costliest, and Most Intense United States Hurricanes From 1900 to 2000 (And Other Frequently Requested Hurricane Facts) (NOAA Technical Memorandum NWS TPC-1).  Miami, FL:  NOAA NWS and Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory, October 2001 Update.  Accessed at:  http://www.aoml.noaa.gov/hrd/Landsea/deadly/index.html

 

Jennings Daily News, LA (UPI). “Debbie may be dangerous” 9-27-1965, p. 1. Accessed at: http://newspaperarchive.com/fullpagepdfviewer?img=156219847&sterm

 

Keim, Barry D. and Robert A. Muller. Hurricanes of the Gulf of Mexico. Louisiana State University Press, 2009. Google digital preview accessed at: http://books.google.com/books?id=auE26oZjOw8C&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false

 

Lake Charles American Press, LA. “Betsy Leaves Havoc in New Orleans Area. Storm Claims Three Lives.” 9-10-1965, 1. At: http://newspaperarchive.com/fullpagepdfviewer?img=116896299&sterm

 

Lake Charles American Press, LA. “Betsy Victim’s Body is Found Near Sunrise.” 10-7-1965, p. 35. At: http://newspaperarchive.com/fullpagepdfviewer?img=120039166&sterm

 

Lake Charles American Press, LA. “Coroner Slashes Death Estimate.” 9-14-1965, p. 1. Accessed at: http://newspaperarchive.com/fullpagepdfviewer?img=116896363&sterm

 

Lake Charles American Press, LA. “Efforts Underway for Raising Sunken Barge.” 9-17-1965, 1. Accessed at: http://newspaperarchive.com/fullpagepdfviewer?img=120038780&sterm

 

Lake Charles American Press, LA. “N.O. Storm Dead May Reach 200.” 9-12-1965, p. 1. Accessed at: http://newspaperarchive.com/fullpagepdfviewer?img=116896320&sterm

 

Lake Charles American Press, LA. “Search Pressed for Dead in Flood Areas.” 9-16-1965, p. 1. Accessed at: http://newspaperarchive.com/fullpagepdfviewer?img=116896400&sterm

 

Lake Charles American Press, LA. “Soaring Damage Count May Rank Betsy as Worst Hurricane Ever.” 9-15-1965, 1. At: http://newspaperarchive.com/fullpagepdfviewer?img=120038746&sterm

 

Lake Charles American Press, LA. “Thousands Flee Onrushing Betsy.” 9-9-1976, p. 1. Accessed at: http://newspaperarchive.com/fullpagepdfviewer?img=120038618&sterm

 

Lake Charles American Press, LA. “Volunteer Help Greatest in History During Betsy.” 9-22-1965, p. 18. At: http://newspaperarchive.com/fullpagepdfviewer?img=116896506&sterm

 

Leader-Times, Kittanning, PA. “Hurricane, Packing 140 m.p.h. Winds, Sweeping Toward Texas, Louisiana.” 9-9-1965, p. 1. At: http://newspaperarchive.com/fullpagepdfviewer?img=96307899&sterm

 

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McCarragher, Barbara. New Orleans Hurricane History (website). Accessed at: http://web.mit.edu/12.000/www/m2010/teams/neworleans1/hurricane%20history.htm

 

Melaragno, Michele. Severe Storm Engineering for Structural Design. Amsterdam: Overseas Publishers Association, 1996. Google digital preview at: http://books.google.com/books?id=MBHgHtnVArwC&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false

 

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National Weather Service Weather Forecast Office, New Orleans/Baton Rouge. Top Weather Events of the 20^th Century within the NWSFO New Orleans/Baton Rouge Service Area.  Slidell, LA:  NWS, NOAA, 5-22-2009 last modified.  At:  http://www.srh.noaa.gov/lix/html/top10.htm

 

Neely, Wayne. The Major Hurricanes to Affect the Bahamas. Bloomington, IN: AuthorHouse, 10-24-2006. Google digital preview accessible at: http://books.google.com/books?id=Dj6bVmljHSwC&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false

 

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New York Times (AP). “Hurricane Flood Raises Toll to 50; Crews Still Finding Bodies in Louisiana – Storm is Ebbing in Arkansas.” 9-12-1965, p. 1. Accessed at: http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F10814FC3A5F1A7B8EDDAB0994D1405B858AF1D3

 

New York Times. “In the Threatened Area, 5 Major Hurricanes in 20 Years.” 9-1-1985. At: http://www.nytimes.com/1985/09/01/us/in-the-threatened-area-5-major-hurricanes-in-20-years.html

 

New York Times. “New Orleans Loss in Storm Heavy; 23 Dead in 3 States.” 9-11-1965, 1. At: http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F50A13F83A54177A93C3A81782D85F418685F9

 

News Tribune, Fort Pierce, FL. “Betsy Batters Nassau; Florida Still in Danger.” 9-7-1965, p. 1. Accessed at: http://newspaperarchive.com/fullpagepdfviewer?img=90424224&sterm

 

News Tribune, Fort Pierce, FL. “Betsy Said the Worst on Record.” 9-15-1965, p. 3. Accessed at: http://newspaperarchive.com/fullpagepdfviewer?img=90424283&sterm

 

News Tribune, Fort Pierce, FL. “Betsy’s Tides Flood Gold Coast as Big Storm Heads Into Gulf,” 9-8-1965, p. 1. At: http://newspaperarchive.com/fullpagepdfviewer?img=90424230&sterm

 

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[1] This reflects 7-13 deaths in FL (see my notes); 81-87 in Louis. (see notes); 4 in Ark., and 1 in Miss..

[2] There are many references to 81 Hurricane Betsy deaths. I believe such can be traced back to the 1966 USACE report, cited herein, which, however, clearly is referring to deaths only in Louisiana. One needs to add the deaths in Florida, Arkansas and Mississippi.

[3] “Seventy-six people lost their lives as a direct result of Hurricane Betsy…” Not noted are lives lost indirectly.

[4] Our number. We are not implying this was the perceived death toll at the time. We are only noting that on Oct 2 a press report had the “confirmed” death toll at 75 (though it was not clear if this was referring to just LA or to U.S. A new fatality discovery would, therefore, raise that toll to 76.

[5] Note R: U.S. Weather Bureau, 19-98, 1891-1970.

[6] Notes 58 deaths in Louisiana, 4 in FL, and “other lives…lost in the adjacent waters of the Gulf and the Atlantic.”

[7] The New Orleans date-lined UPI article notes that “Hurricane Betsy’s confirmed death toll reached 75 over the week-end with the discovery of another flood victim’s body.” It is not clear if this refers to Louisiana or US deaths.

[8] Sav cites:  U.S. Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Environmental Data Service, Climatological Data, National Summary 1972, Vol. 23, p. 62.

[9] These are U.S. deaths. Notes one death elsewhere.

[10] The on-shore locality breakouts we show add to seven deaths. Newspaper reporting we have looked at going out approximately three weeks after the hurricane write of either 7 or 8 deaths for Florida, or sometimes of 13 deaths outside of Louisiana. In that there were four deaths in Arkansas and one in Mississippi, that would leave seven or eight for Florida, depending on whether the single reported death in the Bahamas was included. However, there was early reporting of the fear of the loss of approximately 9 people in small craft. In that the Weather Bureau in its Climatological Notes for September 1965 notes nine offshore “casualties,” we deem it appropriate to include.

[11] This figure of 13 deaths in Florida includes nine “missing at sea” off Barnes Key.

[12] Our number based on what we are given to understand from the following: “Known fatalities in Florida totaled 4: 1 in Miami; 1 in West Palm Beach; 1 in Tampa; 1 in Panama City; 9 additional causalities were recorded over adjacent waters due to loss of small boats.” In that more than nine people suffered injuries of some sort and in that we cite other sources noting nine small craft deaths, we assume that the word “casualties” (which means injured and/or killed) refers in this instance to “fatalities.”

[13] Longshore, David. Encyclopedia of Hurricanes, Typhoons, and Cyclones (New Edition). Facts-on-File, 2008, 53.

[14] Leader-Times, Kittanning, PA. “Hurricane…140 m.p.h. Winds, Sweeping Toward [TX], [LA].” 9-9-1965, p. 1.

[15] News Tribune, Fort Pierce, FL. “Betsy’s Tides Flood Gold Coast as Big Storm Heads Into Gulf,” 9-8-1965, p. 1.

[16] Leader-Times, Kittanning, PA. “Hurricane…140 m.p.h. Winds, Sweeping Toward [TX], [LA].” 9-9-1965, p. 1.

[17] News Tribune, Fort Pierce, FL. “Gulf Coast Lashed; Six Dead in Florida.” 9-10-1965, p. 1.

[18] News Tribune, Fort Pierce, FL. “Gulf Coast Lashed; Six Dead in Florida.” 9-10-1965, p. 1.

[19] Leader-Times, Kittanning, PA. “Hurricane…140 m.p.h. Winds, Sweeping Toward [TX], [LA].” 9-9-1965, p. 1.

[20] Leader-Times, Kittanning, PA. “Hurricane…140 m.p.h. Winds, Sweeping Toward [TX], [LA].” 9-9-1965, p. 1.

[21] My own breakout, below, based on reporting for localities, has the fatality range from 82-87. The authoritative, in my opinion, 1966 USACE report, however, has 81 exactly. Perhaps the Baton Rouge fatality was mistakenly attributed to the Hurricane. In that the USACE did not show breakouts, the derivation of the figure 81 can not be traced. In any event, I choose to show a range of 81-87 for Louisiana.

[22] Cites: Patrick J. Fitzpatrick. Natural Disasters: Hurricanes. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO, 1999.

[23] Clearly a reference to deaths in Louisiana only:  “In her trip through Louisiana, Betsy left 81 dead…” This is the earliest reference I have found to 81 Hurricane Betsy fatalities in Louisiana.

[24] It is to be noted that this is an early report published in September 1965 which we consider a work-in-progress. We know that additional dead were found in New Orleans in late September and into October. Thus, the 58 deaths number, frequently regurgitated, is obviously inaccurate.

[25] 9-14-1965, p. 5.

[26] This is the sum of (1) one male, whose cause of death was not noted, found at a Baton Rouge riverside boat landing, (2) 75-80 drownings in New Orleans reported by Keim and Muller, and (3) six apparent drownings in Plaquemines Parish.

[27] Lake Charles American Press, LA. “Betsy Leaves Havoc in New Orleans Area.” 9-10-1965, p. 1.

[28] Lake Charles American Press, LA. “Efforts Underway for Raising Sunken Barge.” 9-17-1965, 1.)

[29] “Some 50 persons drowned in the New Orleans floods.”

[30] Written as “The known death toll in Louisiana due to flooding or falling buildings was 58, including 41 in Orleans Parish (New Orleans).”

[31] Discussing Betsy impact at New Orleans, the authors write that “Seventy-five to eighty residents drowned.”

[32] Doubtful and not counted. We note it in that this was reported. However, the Lake Charles American Press report of 10-7-1965 states that there were six fatalities in the Parish attributable to Hurricane Betsy.

[33] Doubtful, see footnote above.

[34] Longshore, David. Encyclopedia of Hurricanes, Typhoons, and Cyclones (New Edition). 2008, p. 53.

 

[35] Cites: Patrick J. Fitzpatrick. Natural Disasters: Hurricanes. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO, 1999.

[36] In that this section (and report) concerns hurricanes impacting Louisiana and Texas, it is not clear that the fatality figure includes Florida, Arkansas and Mississippi, or refers just to Louisiana. It is also not clear if there were indirect deaths not included by the statement that 76 lives were lost “as a direct result.” Is, for example, the female fatality in Florida due to contact with a power line included in the 76?

[37] Civil Air Patrol.