1969 — Aug 17-20, Hurricane Camille, esp. So. MS, South/SE LA, Nelson Co. VA –299-335
–299-335 Blanchard, using NOAA, 8-17-1999 for 295 low and Hearn 2004, p. ix for 347 high.
— 400 Collins, Ace. Tragedies of American History, 2003, p. 81. (Not used in tally.)
— 347 Hearn. Hurricane Camille. 2004, p. ix.* [Not used in that we see no substantiation.]
–299-335 Blanchard tally; breakouts below (LA, 9; MS, 135-172; VA, ~153, WV, 2).
— 335 Townsend. The Federal Response to Hurricane Katrina. 2-23-2006.[1]
–258-326 ESSA, US Dept. of Commerce. Hurricane Camille August 5-22, 1969. 1969, p. 5 of 7
–258 dead –68 missing
— 325 Bechtel. Roar of the Heavens. 2006, p. 274.[2]
— 323 Sav 1974, p. 7.[3] (Total including his note of an additional 68 as missing.)
–259-319 OEP. “Report on Federal Disaster Assistance in 1969,” March 1970, p. 7.
–259 deaths –Over 60 missing. (Includes Virginia.)
— 295 NOAA. “Hurricane Camille’s 30th Birthday.” Press Release, 8-17-1999.[4]
— 275 Hebert/Jarrell/Mayfield. The Deadliest, Costliest…[US] Hurricanes… 1993, p. 80.
— 259 Pope. “45 photos of Hurricane Camille 45 years later…” nola.com, 8-14-2014.[5]
— 259 Rappaport and Partagas. The Deadliest Atlantic Tropical Cyclones… 1995.
— 259 Perry. (USGS). Significant Floods in…United States During the 20th Century. 2000.
— 258 NWS WFO, New Orleans/Baton Rouge. Top Weather Events…, 5-22-2009 update.
— 258 Sav. Natural Disasters: Some Empirical and Economic Considerations. 1974, 14.[6]
— 257 Ludlum. The American Weather Book, 1982, p. 175.
— 256 Blake, et al. The Deadliest, Costliest, and Most Intense US Cyclones…, April 2007.
— 256 Burt and Stroud. Extreme Weather: A Guide & Record Book. 2004, p. 205.
— 256 Jarrell et al, 2001; Sav 1974, p. 8.
— 256 NOAA News. ”NOAA’s Top U.S. Weather, Water…Climate Events of the 20th Cen.”
— 255 Norcross. Hurricane Almanac. 2007, p. 69.
— 255 Sav 1974, p. 7[7] (also cites an additional 68 as missing).
— 250 Gunn. “Hurricane Camille,” Encyclopedia of Disasters, Vol. 2, p. 493.
— >250 Hearn. Hurricane Camille, 2004, p. 139.[8]
— 237 UPI. “Hundreds Still Believed in Debris.” Ruston Daily Leader, LA, 8-20-1969, 1.
— >200 Pielke, Roger A., Jr., et al. Hurricane Camille Project Report. 7-12-1999.
— 175 Gulf Coast. Bechtel 2006, 274. (131 identified; 3 unidentified; 41 missing.)
* The national toll of dead and missing reached 347 as the storm moved through portions of Tennessee and Kentucky, and then sparked landslides and flash flooding in West Virginia and Virginia before finally exiting into the Atlantic and dying quietly off the coast of Newfoundland on Aug 22.
Summary of State Breakouts
Louisiana ( 9)
Mississippi (135-172)
Virginia ( ~153)
West Virginia ( 2)
Grand total 299-335
Gulf Coast (LA, MS) (172-177)
–>250 American Friends Service Committee. In the Wake of Hurricane Camille. 11-24-1969.[9]
— 177 Gulf Coast. Ellis, Dan. “Memorial – Gulf Coast.” Passchristian.net.*
— 175 Gulf Coast. Bechtel 2006, 274. (131 identified; 3 unidentified; 41 missing.)
— 175 Halverson, J. B. “Foreword” to Bechtel. Roar of the Heavens. 2006, p. viii.
— 172 Bergeron, Kat. “Camille Remembered.” Camille.passchristian.net.
— 143 NOAA. “Hurricane Camille’s 30th Birthday.” Press Release, August, 17, 1999.
— 143 NWSWFO, Jackson, MS. Hurricane Camille 1969 (webpage). 8-22-2012 modification.
— 139 Beckley Post-Herald, WV. “139 Known Dead.” 9-1-1969, p. 1. (76 others missing.)
* This webpage lists all the names from the Camille Memorial wall in Biloxi, which was meant to name all Gulf Coast fatalities. The list notes 131 “deceased” (128 identified and 3 unidentified), and 41 missing (except that 43 names are actually listed on the webpage). Additionally, the webpage notes the names of three Pass Christian fatalities not named on the wall: William Burton, Mrs. Allen “Ellen” Lundberg, and Myrtle M. Williams. Providing all this is correct, 128 identified dead, 3 unidentified, 41 missing/presumed dead, and 3 Pass Christian fatalities not listed on the Memorial Wall, the total comes to 177.
Louisiana ( 9)
— 9 NWS. NWS LIX – Top Ten Events of 20th Century. NWS NO/Baton Rouge WFO.[10]
— 9 Zebrowski, Ernest and Judith A. Howard. Category 5: The Story of Camille. 2005, p. 150.
— 8 Plaquemine Parish. AP. “Camille’s Death Toll Reaches 170…” Monroe, LA. 8-20-1969, 1.[11]
— 1 Buras area, Plaquemines Parish. Apparent drowning; body found in flooded area.[12]
— 1 Venice. Val Berrett. AP. “Known Victims of Hurricane Camille in [LA, MS] List.”
— 2 St. Tammany Parish, Slidell. Mr. and Mrs. Fred H. Schindler, 70 and 67 respectively.[13]
— 0 Pope. “45 photos of Hurricane Camille 45 years later…” nola.com, 8-14-2014.[14]
Mississippi (135-172)
State:
–135-172 Blanchard, using low-end from NWS WFO NOLA/BR (135), and high from Hearn (172).
— 172 Hearn. Hurricane Camille. 2004, inside dust jacket cover and p. ix.[15]
— 172 Waymarking.com. “Hurricane Camille Memorial – Biloxi, Mississippi.” 10-2-2007.[16]
— >172 Zebrowski, Ernest & Judith Howard. Category 5: The Story of Camille. 2005, p150.[17]
–134-161 Harrison Co. Library Sys., MS. Hurricane Camille, Mississippi…Aug 17-18, 1969.[18]
— 135 NWS WFO, New Orleans/Baton Rouge. NWS LIX – Top Ten Events of 20th Century.
— 135 NWS. Top Weather Events…20th Cen…NWSFO NO/Baton Rouge Service Area.
— 132 Blanchard tally from county breakouts below.
— 130 Canis, Wayne, et al. Living with the Alabama-Mississippi Shore. 1985, p. 11.[19]
— >100 Fitchburg Sentinel, MA. “Red Cross Appeal – More Funds Needed…” 9-23-1969, 9.
Mississippi Counties:
— 12 Hancock. Canis, Wayne, et al. Living with the Alabama-Mississippi Shore. 1985, p. 11.
—>8 Bay St. Louis. AP. “Known Victims of Hurricane Camille…” 8-22-1969, A16.
—>2 Waveland. AP. “Known Victims of Hurricane Camille…” 8-22-1969, A16.
–114 Harrison. Canis, Wayne, et al. Living with the Alabama-Mississippi Shore. 1985, p. 11.
—> 8 Biloxi. AP. “Known Victims of Hurricane Camille…” 8-22-1969, A16.
—>11 Gulfport. AP. “Known Victims of Hurricane Camille…” 8-22-1969, A16.
—> 7 Long Beach. AP. “Known Victims of Hurricane Camille…” 8-22-1969, A16.
— 75 Pass Christian. (Ellis. Passchristian.net. Camille the Storm). Names in red.[20])
— 8 Richelieu Manor Apartments, 3-stories-tall.
–13 Trinity Episcopal Church; family of sexton Paul Williams; three survived.[21]
— 4 Jackson. Canis, Wayne, et al. Living with the Alabama-Mississippi Shore. 1985, p. 11.
—>1 Pascagoula. Emmett Robinson. AP. “Known Victims of…Camille…” 8-22-1969, A16.
— 1 Jones County, Laurel. Thomas Carmichael. AP. “Known Victims…Camille…” 8-22-1969, A16.
— 1 Pearl River County, Picayune. Arthur Dykes. AP. “Known Victims…” 8-22-1969, A16.
Virginia (~153, listed separately as Hurricane Camille remnant storm)
— ~153 Blanchard estimated range based on most sources below (excepting last two).
— 153 Flash Flooding, Nelson County, VA. (NWS, Wakefield The Hurricane History…)
— 153 Nelson Co. flash flooding. Weather Channel. “State hasn’t forgotten…Camille.”
— 152 NOAA. “Hurricane Camille’s 30th Birthday.” Press Release, 8-17-1999.[22]
— 150 VA flooding. (Halverson. Foreword, Bechtel. Roar of the Heavens. 2006, viii.)
— 150 VA flash floods. (Sav, 21)
— 150 VA. USGS. Debris-Flow Hazards within the Appalachian Mountains, 2008, p. 2.
— 113 NOAA News. ”NOAA’s Top U.S. Weather, Water and Climate Events…20th Cent.”
— 113 NWSWFO, Jackson, MS. Hurricane Camille 1969 (webpage). 8-22-2012 mod.
[See separate entry for Nelson County, VA Flash Flooding Event, August 19-20, 1969.]
West Virginia ( 2)
–2 Renick,[23] ~ Aug 24, flash flood, Mrs. Ella Boggs, 91, and 66-year-old daughter Maudie.[24]
Narrative Information
Ludlum: “Hurricane Camille made landfall on Mississippi coast, ‘severest ever to strike populated area in U.S..’ winds of 200 mi/h…; tide 24 ft…; caused 144 deaths and $1280 million damage; later floods in Virginia drowned 113 more persons.” (Ludlum. American Weather Book, 1982, 175.)
NWS NOLA/Baton Rouge WFO: “August 17, 1969: Hurricane Camille.
“Only one of two Category 5 hurricanes to landfall on a United States coastline. Hurricane Camille evolved from an Atlantic tropical wave near the Cape Verde Islands that traveled into the western Caribbean Sea before developing into a tropical storm on August 14th. After crossing the extreme western tip of Cuba, she took aim on the Mississippi River delta. On the morning of the 17th, Camille rapidly intensified into a Category 5 system and the entire Mississippi and southeast Louisiana areas braced for her fury as warnings were extended to include the entire Mississippi Gulf coast and the New Orleans area. Hurricane reconnaissance aircraft reported a central pressure of 901 millibars, or 26.63 inches of mercury, and winds estimated at 190 mph near its center. Harrison County Civil Defense Director, Wade Guice, proceeded with a door-to-door evacuation effort in the Gulfport and Biloxi communities. Many adhered his advice, others didn’t. On the night of the 17th, Camille moved just east of the mouth of the Mississippi River then continued towards the eastern side of Bay St. Louis, making landfall at Pass Christian, MS. Winds sustained over 200 mph at her peak but accurate measurements were not attainable due to failure of wind equipment from the extreme winds. An unprecedented storm surge of 25 feet crashed into the Mississippi Coast, inundating everything within two miles of the beach from Henderson Point to Biloxi. Party-goers at the Richelieu Apartments in Pass Christian met their fate when this multiple story structure was leveled. Ocean-going ships were washed ashore and smaller vessels littered the area well inland. Train trestles and bay bridges were washed out and large segments of U.S. Highway 90 were removed from the fierce tides and erosion. Deaths in Mississippi accounted for 135 of the 258 total. Louisiana had 9 deaths. Over 73,000 families suffered losses in Mississippi and Louisiana. Damage estimates exceeded $1.4 billion along the Mississippi and Louisiana Gulf Coast. After devastating the Gulf Coast, Camille continued into the Appalachians where many deaths occurred to extensive rainfall and widespread flash flooding. After 30 years, many natives and long-time residents remember vivid details of this major event of our United States and local history. Local reminders still exist, such as empty slabs where homes once stood, the St. Timothy Episcopal Church bell tower in Biloxi, and a beached tugboat named the ‘Hurricane Camille’ now serves as a souvenir shop along Highway 90. Hurricane Camille was also selected as one of the top ten weather events of the century for the entire U.S.” (National Weather Service Weather Forecast Office, New Orleans/Baton Rouge. NWS LIX – Top Ten Events of 20th Century. Slidell, LA: NWS New Orleans/Baton Rouge WFO.)
NOAA: “Hurricane Camille, 1969. Making landfall at Pass Christian, Miss. with wind gusts estimated to near 200 mph and a storm tide measured at 24.6 feet, Hurricane Camille claimed 256 lives and caused $1.4 billion in damages ($6.2 billion in current dollars). Camille was only the second Category 5 hurricane to strike the U. S. It’s relatively small size and extreme winds made it an unusually intense storm, leaving a narrow, destructive path. More than 5,000 homes were destroyed and 13,000 others suffered damage. The storm surge was so high that one survivor was washed over Pass Christian without encountering any utility poles, buildings, or trees. The storm had a “double- barrel” effect as it caused record inland flooding after turning northeast through Tennessee, Kentucky, and Virginia before exiting into the Atlantic. The storm dumped a record 28 inches of rain in central Virginia causing massive flooding and rain-induced landslides. Virginia counted 113 dead from a storm that came not from the Atlantic, but from the west.
“Technology Sidebar: Camille was the first major land falling hurricane whose approach was followed closely by geostationary satellite images. Later, an operational network of weather satellites provided all NWS forecast offices with crucial data to track tropical storm activity. Since Camille, the NOAA’s National Hurricane Center has improved the accuracy of its hurricane track forecasting by one percent each year, allowing forecasters to stretch warning lead time from 18 to 24 hours.” (NOAA News. ”NOAA’s Top U.S. Weather, Water and Climate Events of the 20th Century.”)
Pielke, et al.: “Thirty years ago, Hurricane Camille struck the United States Gulf Coast with an unprecedented fury. Camille, a Saffir/Simpson Category 5 storm, was the strongest storm to directly strike the United States in the twentieth century. After wreaking havoc along the Gulf Coast, Camille’s remnants deposited a tremendous amount of rain in the Appalachian Mountains of Virginia and West Virginia, causing further damage. All told, Camille caused more than 200 deaths and billions of dollars in damage. In its aftermath, the storm was called the greatest catastrophe ever to strike the United States and perhaps the most significant economic weather event in the world’s history….
“This report, and the web site of which it is a part, takes advantage of the thirtieth anniversary of Camille’s landfall to raise awareness about the hurricane hazard facing the United States. This report reviews the Camille experience with an eye to lessons learned and lessons lost from that event. The subtext of this report is that many of the lessons of Camille have been relearned in subsequent hurricane impacts with hurricanes Agnes, Frederic, Alicia, Hugo, Andrew, Opal, and so forth. For the most part, society acknowledges its need to improve response to hurricanes. The greatest challenge we face is to turn that knowledge into practical action. Another storm like Camille might open a window of opportunity to improve the nation’s hurricane policies, but it would be far better if, instead of waiting for that future storm, we learned the lessons that history has already provided….” (Pielke, Simonpietri and Oxelson. Hurricane Camille Project Report. Thirty Years After Hurricane Camille: Lessons Learned, Lessons Lost. 7-12-1999.)
Waymarking.com: “….Hurricane Camille struck with calamitous fury shortly after ten-thirty p.m. on August 17, 1969. The Mississippi Coast was devastated by winds clocked at more than 200 mph and tidal waves surging up to 30 feet. Camille leveled 26 miles of the Mississippi coastline. This beautiful mosaic and memorial with the names of the 172 who perished was erected on the grounds of the Episcopal Church of the Redeemer. In front of the memorial, was a tower with stained glass windows that were crafted from shards of glass retrieved from the grounds after Hurricane Camille had passed. Hurricane Katrina wiped out both the tower, and the Episcopal Church of the Redeemer.” (Waymarking.com. “Hurricane Camille Memorial – Biloxi, Mississippi.” Posted by Sunny Gina, 10-2-2007.)
Newspapers at the time
Aug 18: “New Orleans (AP) – Slashing in across a shallow bay, Hurricane Camille stunned the Mississippi coast Sunday night with 150 mile an hour winds, monster tides and tornadoes.
“Thousands of residents of the coastal areas in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama cowered in evacuation shelters – some of them beset by shortages of food and water. Civil defense officials estimated some 200,000 fled inland from Mississippi’s coastal area during the day.
“The area of maximum force was near Gulfport, Miss., with 150 m.p.h. winds clocked. But Camille – having hit land – already was dying. Her sea winds had been 190 m.p.h. with gusts to 200. The U.S. Weather Bureau here said Camille would weaken rapidly as it shrieked northward over Mississippi hill country, leaving behind diminishing seas.
“Heavy damage was outlined in sketchy reports but any meaningful assessment of Camille’s destruction would be impossible before the storm passed on.
“Despite the violence, including two tornadoes in a rural area near Mobile, Ala., no casualties had been reported by midnight Sunday [17th] from any area hit by the storm.
“All power was out in Gulfport, with partial failures in many other areas in both Louisiana and Mississippi. ‘The wind is blowing rocks,’ a deputy said from Gulfport’s county courthouse. ‘There’s a boat out in the parking lot here and we’re three blocks from the harbor.’
“The weather bureau warned of tides driven by the winds to heights of up to 20 feet in the area of maximum storm power – from Gulfport to Pascagoula, Miss., near the Alabama line….” (Associated Press. “Camille Hits Mississippi Coast With 150 MPH Wind, Huge Tides.” Monroe Morning World, LA. 8-18-1969, p. 1.)
Sep 1, LA and MS: “Jackson, Miss. (AP) – Hurricane Camille caused 139 confirmed deaths in Louisiana and Mississippi and 76 persons are listed as missing, the Red-Cross said Sunday. Tom Virden of Jackson, chairman of the Central Mississippi chapter, said it was estimated an additional 4,500 persons received injuries in the storm. Virden said the Red Cross had spent $1.8 million on disaster relief for hurricane victims and 13,863 families had applied for Red Cross assistance.” (Beckley Post-Herald and Raleigh Register, Beckley, WV. “139 Known Dead.” 9-1-1969, p. 1.)
Sep 9, WV: “Death house is shown [referring to photograph] after the flash flood of two weeks ago trapped and drowned Mrs. Ella Boggs, 91 and her 66-year-ld daughter, Maudie. The two were trapped in the house at Renick by the rising flood waters of Spring Creek. The flood was caused by the rain brought by Hurricane Camille.” (Beckley Post-Herald and Raleigh Register, Beckley, WV. “Second Flash Flood Hits Renick.” 9-7-1969, p. 17.)
Sources
American Friends Service Committee and The Southern Regional Council. In the Wake of Hurricane Camille: An Analysis of the Federal Response. Philadelphia (AFSC) and Atlanta, GA (SRC). 11-24-1969. 34 pages.
Associated Press. “Camille Hits Mississippi Coast With 150 MPH Wind, Huge Tides.” Monroe Morning World, LA. 8-18-1969, p. 1. Accessed 2-23-2020 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/monroe-morning-world-aug-18-1969-p-1/
Associated Press. “Camille’s Death Toll Reaches 170; Governor Says Death Rate May Soar Higher Than Expected.” Monroe Morning World, 8-20-1969, p. 1. Accessed 2-23-2020 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/monroe-morning-world-aug-20-1969-p-2/
Associated Press. “Camille’s Fury Leaves Mississippi Coastal Strip Virtually Helpless.” Monroe Morning World, LA. 8-19-1969, p. 1. Accessed 2-23-2020 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/monroe-morning-world-aug-19-1969-p-1/
Associated Press. “Known Victims of Hurricane Camille in Louisiana, Mississippi List.” Dallas Morning News, TX, 8-22-1969, A16. Accessed 2-23-2020 at: http://genealogytrails.com/miss/camille%20victims.htm
Bechtel, Stefan. Roar of the Heavens [Hurricane Camille]. Citadel Press, 2006.
Beckley Post-Herald and Raleigh Register, Beckley, WV. “139 Known Dead.” 9-1-1969, p. 1. Accessed at: http://newspaperarchive.com/fullpagepdfviewer?img=87286441&sterm
Beckley Post-Herald and Raleigh Register, Beckley, WV. “Second Flash Flood Hits Renick.” 9-7-1969, p. 17. at: http://newspaperarchive.com/fullpagepdfviewer?img=87286548&sterm
Bergeron, Kat. “Camille Remembered.” Camille.passchristian.net. Accessed 2-23-2020 at: http://camille.passchristian.net/camille_remembered.htm
Blake, Eric S., Edward N. Rappaport, and Christopher W. Landsea. The Deadliest, Costliest, and Most Intense United States Cyclones From 1851 to 2006. Miami, FL: National Weather Service, National Hurricane Center, April 15, 2007 update, 45 pages. Accessed at: http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/Deadliest_Costliest.shtml
Burt, Christopher C. and Mark Stroud. Extreme Weather: A Guide & Record Book. W. W. Norton & Co., 2004, 304 pages. Google preview accessed 1-1-2014 at: http://books.google.com/books?id=NuP7ATq9nWgC&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false
Canis, Wayne F., William J. Neal, Deborah F. Pilkey, Orrin H. Pilkey. Living with the Alabama-Mississippi Shore. Duke University Press, 1985. Google digital preview accessed at: http://books.google.com/books?id=HJjd8ZJMPw8C&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false
Collins, Ace. Tragedies of American History – Thirteen Stories of Human Error and Natural Disaster. New York: Plume Books, 2003.
Ellis, Dan. All About Camille. Camille.passchristian.net. Accessed 1-23-2020 at: http://camille.passchristian.net/index.htm
ESSA (Environmental Science Services Administration), United States Department of Commerce. Hurricane Camille August 5-22, 1969. Climatological Data, National Summary, Vol. 20, No. 8, 1969. Authors Richard M. DeAngelis, Environmental Data Service, ESSA, and Elmer R. Nelson, Office of Hydrology, Weather Bureau, ESSA. Seven pages.
Fitchburg Sentinel, MA. “Red Cross Appeal – More Funds Needed…” 9-23-1969, p. 9. Accessed at: http://newspaperarchive.com/fullpagepdfviewer?img=54810233&sterm
Gunn, Angus M. “Hurricane Camille,” Encyclopedia of Disasters, Vol. 2. Westport, CT and London: Greenwood Press, 2007.
Harrison County Library System, MS. Hurricane Camille, Mississippi Gulf Coast – August 17-18, 1969. Accessed at: http://www.harrison.lib.ms.us/library_services/camille.htm
Hearn, Philip D. Hurricane Camille: Monster Storm of the Gulf Coast. Jackson, MS: University Press of Mississippi, 2004.
Hebert, Paul J., J.D. Jarrell, Max Mayfield. The Deadliest, Costliest, and Most Intense United States Hurricanes of This Century (NOAA Technical Memorandum NWS-NHC-31). Miami, FL: National Hurricane Center, National Weather Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce, Feb 1993, 41 pages.
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
Ludlum, David M. The American Weather Book. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co., 1982.
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. “Hurricane Camille’s 30th Birthday.” Press Release, 8-17-1999. At: http://www.publicaffairs.noaa.gov/releases99/aug99/noaa99r237.html
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. “NOAA’s Top U.S. Weather, Water and Climate Events of the 20th Century.” NOAA News, 12-13-1999. Accessed at: http://www.noaanews.noaa.gov/stories/s334c.htm
National Weather Service Weather Forecast Office, Jackson, MS. Hurricane Camille 1969 (webpage). Flowood, MS: NWS, 8-22-2012 modification. Accessed at: http://www.srh.noaa.gov/jan/?n=1969_08_17_hurricane_camille
National Weather Service Weather Forecast Office, New Orleans/Baton Rouge. NWS LIX – Top Ten Events of 20th Century. Slidell, LA: NWS New Orleans/Baton Rouge WFO. Accessed 2-23-2020 at: https://www.weather.gov/lix/20thcenturytopten
National Weather Service Weather Forecast Office, New Orleans/Baton Rouge. Top Weather Events of the 20th 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
National Weather Service Weather Forecast Office, Wakefield, VA. The Hurricane History of Central and Eastern Virginia. At: http://www.erh.noaa.gov/er/akq/adobe_pdf/Hurrhist.pdf
Norcross, Bryan. Hurricane Almanac: The Essential Guide to Storms Past, Present, and Future. New York, St. Martin’s Griffin, 2007.
Office of Emergency Preparedness, Executive Office of the President. “Report on Federal Disaster Assistance in 1969,” March 1970, 15 pages.
Perry, Charles A. Significant Floods in the United States During the 20th Century – USGS Measures a Century of Floods (USGS Fact Sheet 024-00). USGS Kansas Water Science Center, March 2000, Accessed at: http://ks.water.usgs.gov/pubs/fact-sheets/fs.024-00.html
Pielke, Roger A., Jr., Chantal Simonpietri and Jennifer Oxelson. Hurricane Camille Project Report. Thirty Years After Hurricane Camille: Lessons Learned, Lessons Lost. 7-12-1999. At: http://sciencepolicy.colorado.edu/about_us/meet_us/roger_pielke/camille/report.html
Pope, John. “45 photos of Hurricane Camille 45 years later for #throwbackthursday.” nola.com, 8-14-2014. Accessed 2-23-2020 at: https://www.nola.com/news/weather/article_96e669b7-f31b-5dc5-b396-2825825ca8ae.html
Rappaport, Edward N. and Jose Fernandez-Partagas. The Deadliest Atlantic Tropical Cyclones, 1492-1994 (NOAA Technical Memorandum NWS NHC-47). Coral Gables, FL: National Hurricane Center, National Weather Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce, January 1995, 42 pages. Accessed at: http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/pdf/NWS-NHC-1995-47.pdf
Sav, Thomas G. Natural Disasters: Some Empirical and Economic Considerations (Final Report, NBSIR 74-473). Washington, DC: National Bureau of Standards, Institute for Applied Technology, Center for Building Technology, Building Economics Section, February 1974, 74 pages. Accessed at: http://www.fire.nist.gov/bfrlpubs/build74/PDF/b74006.pdf
Townsend, Francis Fragos (Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism). The Federal Response to Hurricane Katrina: Lessons Learned. Washington, DC: White House, 2-23-2006. Accessed at: http://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/reports/katrina-lessons-learned/index.html
UPI (United Press International). “Camille Death Toll Reaches 106, May Rise as Rescue Continues.” Ruston Daily Leader, LA, 8-19-1969, p. 1. Accessed 2-23-2020 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/ruston-daily-leader-aug-19-1969-p-1/
UPI (United Press International). “Hundreds Still Believed in Debris.” Ruston Daily Leader, LA, 8-20-1969, p. 1. Accessed 2-23-2020 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/ruston-daily-leader-aug-20-1969-p-1/
United States Geological Survey. Debris-Flow Hazards within the Appalachian Mountains of the Eastern United States. 2008, 4 pp. At: http://pubs.usgs.gov/fs/2008/3070/fs2008-3070.pdf
Waymarking.com. “Hurricane Camille Memorial – Biloxi, Mississippi.” Posted by Sunny Gina, 10-2-2007 at: http://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/WM2AHH
Weather Channel (Kevin Myatt). “State hasn’t forgotten Hurricane Camille.” 8-14-2009. Accessed 8-14-2009 at: http://www/roanoke.com/weathr/wb/215274
Zebrowski, Ernest and Judith A. Howard. Category 5: The Story of Camille. Ann Arbor: The University of Michigan Press, 2005. Google preview accessed 2-22-2020 at: https://books.google.com/books?id=gpVFDwAAQBAJ&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false
[1] Cites: Ernest Zebrowski and Judith A. Howard. Category 5: The Story of Camille. 2005, p. 266.
[2] “Including those lost on the Gulf Coast, Camille’s total known death toll…comes to 325.”
[3] Cites Office of Emergency Preparedness, Disaster Preparedness, Vol. 3 (DC: Executive Office of the President, Jan 1972, p. 47). Notes that as of 11-10-1969, 68 were missing without making it clear this is in addition to the 255.
[4] Total of Gulf Coast fatalities of 143 and Virginia fatalities of 113 as well as 39 missing in VA
[5] After noting 15 drowning deaths at the Trinity Episcopal Church in Pass Christian [was 13], notes: “By the time Camille dissipated on Aug. 22, after heading east and entering the Atlantic Ocean, it had killed 244 more people…”
[6] Sav cites NOAA, Environmental Data Service, Climatological Data, National Summary 1972, Vol. 23, p. 62.
[7] Sav cites Office of Emergency Preparedness, Disaster Preparedness, Vol. 3 (Executive Office of the President, Jan 1972, p. 47). Sav notes that as of 11-10-1969, 68 were missing without making it clear this is in addition to the 255.
[8] Number is in first paragraph after describing VA life loss: “the storm left 106 dead, 67 missing and 102 injured.” Three sentences later: “Of the 162 dead and missing, 126 were residents of Nelson County [VA]…” (p138.)
[9] “As she hit the Gulf Coast areas of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama, she killed at least 250 people…”
[10] “Deaths in Mississippi accounted for 135 of the 258 total. Louisiana had 9 deaths.”
[11] “….The death toll jumped Tuesday with…the announcement by authorities in Louisiana’s Plaquemines Parish (county) that they knew of eight dead in the area.”
[12] UPI. “Camille Death Toll Reaches 106, May Rise as Rescue Continues.” Ruston Daily Leader, LA, 8-19-1969, 1. [Blanchard note: the only name we have seen as a Buras fatality is that of Paul Ragas. (AP. “Known Victims of Hurricane Camille in Louisiana, Mississippi List.” Dallas Morning News, TX, 8-22-1969, A16.)
[13] AP. “Known Victims of Hurricane Camille in Louisiana, Mississippi…” Dallas Morning News, 8-22-1969, A16
[14] “No Camille-related deaths were reported in Louisiana, although much of Plaquemines Parish sustained flooding and winds strong enough to blow houses apart and upend trailers.”
[15] 131 fatalities in the three coastal counties of Harrison, Hancock, and Jackson; 41 others missing, “never found.”
[16] The names of 172 of dead and missing (presumed dead) people were engraved.
[17] “The death toll was reported as 9 in Louisiana and at least 172 in Mississippi, with the caveat that dozens of others remained unaccounted for and that it was not always possible to attribute a particular death to the effects of the hurricane.”
[18] 134 dead and 27 missing.
[19] Cites: State of Mississippi. The Mississippi Gulf Coast Comprehensive Development after Camille. 1970 (See reference 82, appendix C).
[20] Webpage lists all the names from the Camille Memorial wall in Biloxi, MS. The webpage notes: “The names shown in RED at RIGHT, in addition to the three above, are victim deaths that took place at Pass Christian.” The “three above” are: William Burton, Mrs. Allen “Ellen” Lundberg, and Myrtle M. Williams. The text below their names notes: “The above names are affixed to the Memorial at Pass Christina which are not listed on the Biloxi Memorial shown at the right [on the webpage].”
[21] Zebrowski and Howard. Category 5. 2005, p. 121.
[22] “The state of Virginia counted 113 dead with 39 missing…”
[23] Also known as Falling Spring, a town in Greenbrier County, eastern West Virginia.
[24] Beckley Post-Herald and Raleigh Register, Beckley, WV. “Second Flash Flood Hits Renick.” 9-7-1969, p. 17.