1967 — Sep 20-22, Hurricane Beulah, flooding, tornadoes, Brownsville & SW TX –12-18

U.S., Caribbean and Mexico
–52-81 Blanchard tally of low and high range of Texas, Caribbean and Mexican deaths below.
— 59 Environmental Data Service. “Hurricane Beulah September 5-22,” Sep 1967, p. 442.
— 59 Longshore. Encyclopedia of Hurricanes, Typhoons, and Cyclones (New Ed.). 2008, 55.
— 59 Rappaport and Partagas 1995. (Including Caribbean & Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula)
— 59 The Monitor, McAllen, TX (Aaron Nelsen). “Beulah.” 9-15-2007.
— 58 15 in TX. NWS Corpus Christi TX WFO. Major Hurricane Beulah – September 20, 1967.
— 58 Metz, John. “45th Anniversary of Hurricane Beulah.” South Texas Weather Journal, 2012.
–>55 Lubbock Avalanche-Journal. “Hurricane Fern Heads for…Mexico.” 10-3-1967, A10.
— 54 Big Spring Daily Herald, TX. “Flood Miseries Pile…Both Sides of Rio.” 9-27-1967, 1.
— 54 Corpus Christi Times, TX. “Valley Flood Area’s Residents Can Return.” 9-29-1967, p. 1.
— 44 Big Spring Daily Herald. “Floodwaters Continue Surge…Harlingen.” 9-26-1967, 1.
— 40 Bonham Daily Favorite, TX. “Rio Grande Smashes Small Dam.” 9-25-1967, p. 1.
–>40 Texas Archive of the Moving Image. “Hurricane Beulah, 1967.” Accessed 1-6-2014.
— 38 Cornell, James. The Great International Disaster Book (Third Edition). 1982, p. 131.
— 35 The Light, San Antonia TX. “Beulah’s Last Gasp Floods S.A.” 9-22-1967, p. 1.
— 30 Corpus Christi Times. “Hurricane Damage Set at About $500 Million.” 9-21-1967, 1.

Texas (12-18)
— 44 Roth, David (NWS). Texas Hurricane History. 1-17-2010 update, p. 52.
–12-18 Blanchard estimate of Texas fatalities.
–18 Texas State Historical Association. “Hurricane Beulah wracks Texas coast.” Tshaonline.
–15 NWS Corpus Christi TX WFO. Major Hurricane Beulah – September 20, 1967.
–15 Roth, David (NWS). Texas Hurricane History: Late 20th Century. 6-23-2003 mod.
–15 The Monitor, McAllen, TX (Aaron Nelsen). “Beulah.” 9-15-2007.
–15 United States Army Corps of Engineers. Hurricane Beulah Sept. 8-21 1967. 1968, 3.
–12 Lubbock Avalanche-Journal. “Hurricane Fern Heads for Coast…Mexico.” 10-3-1967, A10
–12 Lubbock Avalanche-Journal. “South Texas Won’t Forget…‘Beulah’…” 10-5-1967, B9.
–12 Port Arthur News, TX. “Beulah” (continued from page 1) 10-1-1967, p. 10.
–12 San Antonio Express, TX. “Fern Headed Into Mexico.” 10-4-1967, p. 1.
–11 Bonham Daily Favorite, TX. “Rio Grande Smashes Small Dam.” 9-25-1967, p. 1.
–11 Commerce Journal, TX. “Jaycees to Aid Valley Flood Victims.” 9-28-1967, p. 1.
— 8 Lubbock Avalanche-Journal, TX. “South Texas ‘Sea of Misery.’” 9-23-1967, p. 1.
— 6 Corpus Christi Times, TX. “Hurricane Damage Set at…$500 Million..” 9-21-1967, p. 1.

Cause
— 39 Flooding. Roth, David (NWS). Texas Hurricane History. Jan 17, 2010 update, p. 52.
— 10 “ Roth, David. Texas Hurricane History: Late 20th Century. 6-23-2003 mod.
— 10 “ U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Hurricane Beulah Sept. 8-21 1967. 1968, 3.
— 5 Tornadoes. Roth, David (NWS). Texas Hurricane History. Jan 17, 2010 update, p. 52.
— 5 “ U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Hurricane Beulah Sept. 8-21 1967. 1968, 3.
— 4 “ Express and News, San Antonio, TX. “Billion Dollar Beulah…” 9-24-1967, C2.

Locality
— 1 Louise, Wharton Co. Tornado. Roth. Texas Hurricane History.. 6-23-2003 mod.
— 4 Palacios, Matagorda Co. Tornado. Roth. Texas Hurricane History. 6-23-2003 mod.
— 2 San Antonio, Sep 21, Flooding.

Caribbean ( 18)
— 18 Corpus Christi Times. “Hurricane Damage Set at About $500 Million.” 9-21-1967, 1.
— 18 The Monitor, McAllen, TX (Aaron Nelsen). “Beulah.” 9-15-2007.

Mexico (>22-45)
Country:
–45 Victoria Advocate, TX. “Sun Shines Again Over Mexico.” 9-30-1967, 1. (dead/missing)
–22 Blanchard tally of locality breakouts below, not counting reports of missing.
–>9 Express and News, San Antonio, TX. “Beulah Kills Nine in Mexico.” 9-24-1967, C2.
— 6 Corpus Christi Times. “Hurricane Damage Set at About $500 Million.” 9-21-1967, 1.
Localities:
–12 Guerrero. Victoria Advocate, TX. “Sun Shines Again Over Mexico.” 9-30-1967, p. 1.
— 3 Reynosa. Express and News, San Antonio, TX. “Beulah Kills Nine…” 9-24-1967, C2.
— 6 Rio Bravo. Express and News, San Antonio, TX. “Beulah Kills Nine…” 9-24-1967, C2.
— 1 Sabinas Hidalgo. Drowning. El Paso Herald-Post, TX. Floodwaters… 9-28-1967, p. 1.

Narrative Information

National Weather Service: “2017 marks the 50th anniversary of Hurricane Beulah. On September 20th, 1967, Hurricane Beulah made landfall near Brownsville as a powerful category three hurricane. While not a direct landfall along the Middle Texas Coast, this storm had far-reaching impacts that affected southern parts of Texas.

“The origin of Beulah can be traced back to a weather disturbance that emerged off the coast of Africa on August 28th. The area of unsettled weather continued westward, and on September 4th a Navy reconnaissance plane discovered a weak circulation with the system. The official track for Beulah began on September 5th just east of the Windward Islands as nearby ships reported a depression had formed. The storm became better organized on September 6th, and on September 7th. A navy reconnaissance plane found that an eye had developed. After passing through the Windward Islands as a tropical storm, Beulah intensified on September 8th and reached hurricane strength over the eastern Caribbean Sea. The storm continued its westward track across the Caribbean as a major hurricane, reaching category four strength south of Puerto Rico and Hispaniola. Interestingly, Beulah then weakened significantly between September 10th and 13th and was downgraded to a tropical storm on September 12th. Unfavorable atmospheric conditions and briefly crossing the south fringes of the Dominican Republic contributed to the cyclone’s weakening. After moving south of Jamaica, a more northwesterly track became established, and Beulah strengthened into a hurricane again. As the hurricane continued its northwesterly track, the threat to the Yucatan Peninsula increased. Beulah made landfall on the island of Cozumel on the evening of September 16th, crossing the Yucatan Peninsula, and emerging into the southwestern Gulf of Mexico on the afternoon on September 17th.

“As the hurricane approached the Lower Texas Coast, further intensification occurred due to the very warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico. Beulah reached category five strength with winds around 160 mph south southeast of Brownsville. The lowest pressure during the lifetime of the hurricane was 923 mb, which was recorded on the afternoon and evening of September 19th. Beulah made landfall on the morning of September 20th between the mouth of the Rio Grande River and Brownsville as a powerful category three hurricane. The hurricane gradually weakened as it moved to the north northwest, but hurricane force winds were observed in the Coastal Bend. Beulah stalled near Alice, then moved to the southwest on September 21st, and dissipated over the mountainous terrain of Mexico on September 22nd.

“The strongest winds at landfall were confined to areas well south of Corpus Christi. The SS Shirley Lykes, anchored in the Port of Brownsville, reported winds of 136 mph. At the National Weather Service office in Brownsville, a peak wind gust of 109 mph was recorded. The wind gusts were probably higher than 109 mph as the anemometer at the NWS office was titled 30 degrees due to the strong winds. Hurricane force winds were not as high in the Coastal Bend, but wind gusts between 80 and 100 mph were reported in Corpus Christi, Kingsville, Alice, Aransas Pass, and Rockport.

“The most devastating storm surge occurred along the Lower Texas Coast. The storm surge may have been as high as 15 to 20 feet across coastal locations of Deep South Texas. The storm surge also produced 31 new cuts along South Padre Island. Across the Coastal Bend, tidal levels were not as high and generally ranged between 5 and 7 feet MSL.

“For the Coastal Bend into South Central and Southeast Texas, one of the primary hazards was the unprecedented number of tornadoes. At the time, Beulah set the record for number of tornadoes associated with a tropical system. It was estimated that around 115 tornadoes were spawned from the hurricane. In fact, speculation exists that there may have been as many as 140 tornadoes, but these additional reports could not be verified. The official record for tropical cyclone tornadoes was broken in 2004 as 120 tornadoes occurred with Hurricane Ivan. The tornadoes from Beulah occurred over a large area, ranging from the Texas coastal communities to South Central and Southeast Texas. Most of the tornadoes were small and short-lived, but two tornadoes resulted in several fatalities. Four people were killed in a tornado in Palacios while another tornado-related fatality occurred in Louise.

“Torrential rains were the other main story with Beulah. Between 15 and 25 inches of rain fell over South Texas with some isolated pockets around 30 inches. The flooding problem was exacerbated by heavy rains which occurred in August and in early September. The antecedent conditions and heavy rains resulted in flash flooding and record level river flooding (some of which still stands today) on numerous local rivers. Many towns across South Texas were severely flooded and water remained on the ground for months in poor drainage areas of the Coastal Bend and Coastal Plains.

“Hurricane Beulah was responsible for 58 fatalities with 15 of those occurring in Texas. Damages from Beulah totaled $217 million dollars in 1967 which equates to $1.59 billion dollars in 2017. Due to its deadly and costly nature, Beulah was retired and will never be used again as a hurricane name in the Atlantic Basin.” (National Weather Service, Corpus Christi TX Weather Forecast Office. Major Hurricane Beulah – September 20, 1967.)

Roth, 2003: “At the time “Hurricane Beulah was the third largest hurricane on record, after Carla in 1961…and the Great New England Hurricane of 1938. The storm traversed the Caribbean Sea from the 8th through mid-month. It struck the coast near Brownsville on the 20th, then recurved, paralleling the coastline to the southwest thereafter….

“Winds gusted to 136 m.p.h. on the S. S. Shirley Lykes, located in the Port of Brownsville. Hurricane force winds extended up the coast to Corpus Christi, which received gusts to 86 m.p.h. at 8:35 P.M. on the 20th. Winds gusted to 110 mph at the local Army Corp of Engineers office. The storm surge reached 20 feet along lower sections of Padre Island. Beulah made 31 cuts completely through the island. At Port Isabel, only the new bank and the lighthouse escaped any damage. Citrus fruit and tree damage totaled $15 million in the Lower Rio Grande Valley.

“San Antonio saw horrible flooding with Beulah. At Pettus, in Bee County, rainfall reached 27.38″; some areas saw greater than 30″! At Falfurrias, in Brooks County, more than 25 inches of rain fell; more than falls during a normal year. The San Antonio River went 18.4 feet above flood stage at Goliad, the Lavaca River near Edna crested 5.2 feet above flood stage. The Navidad River at Ganado crested 10.9 feet above flood stage. The area south and east of a Laredo, San Antonio, Matagorda arc was isolated for over a week due to the massive flood. Only 0.04″ of rain fell at Nederland….

“An amazing 115 tornadoes were spawned by the system, the most ever known to be generated by a tropical storm (5 times the previous record set by Isbell in 1964). Most of the tornadoes were confined to the entire coast of Texas and were rather weak. One killer tornado touched down in Palacios on the morning of the 20th, killing 4 people and injuring 6 more. A tornado near Louise in Wharton County caused one death. Fifteen people died in Texas during Beulah; 5 by tornado, 10 by flood. One hundred ten boats also fell victim to the storm. Damages were estimated conservatively at $100 million.” (Roth, TX Hurricane History Late 20th Cent., 2003)

Roth, 2010: “Twenty nine counties were declared major disaster areas by then President Lyndon Baines Johnson. Forty-four people died in Texas during Beulah; 5 by tornado, 39 by flood. One hundred ten boats were also victim to the storm…” (Roth, David (NWS). Texas Hurricane History. Jan 17, 2010 update, p. 52.)

United States Army Corps of Engineers: “This is the final post disaster report on emergency activities by the Galveston and Fort Worth Districts of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in connection with Hurricane ‘Beulah,’ 8-21- September 1967…. [p. 1.]

“Hurricane ‘Beulah’ moved inland just east of Brownsville, near the Texas-Mexico border, about 6:00 a.m. CST, on 20 September…a peak gust of 109 miles per hour was recorded at the airport….

“‘Beulah’ claimed 15 lives in Texas, five as the result of tornadoes and ten as the result of flooding….” [p. 3.] (United States Army Corps of Engineers, Army Engineer District, Galveston, TX. Hurricane Beulah Sept. 8-21 1967. USACE: 1968.)

Newspapers at the time

Sep 20: “Brownsville (AP) – Hurricane-force winds began racking this city of 50,000 persons about 1:45 a.m. Wednesday [Sep 20] as hurricane Beulah began moving into Texas. The hurricane, taking a more northerly course, is expected to move along the coast with its eye just off shore, moving into the Corpus Christi-Port Aransas area late Wednesday. The Weather Bureau at New Orleans advised the Corpus Christi-Port Aransas area to take immediate precautionary steps for 100 m.p.h. winds.

“Highway Patrolmen said traffic on exit roads out of Brownsville became heavy before midnight. Northbound traffic on two main Valley routes was increasing, officers said.

“Mayor Jack Blackman at Corpus Christi put the city under emergency and ordered evacuation of two low areas in the city….

“Hurricane force winds extended outward 70 miles from the storm’s center. Gales extended outward 250 miles to the north and 100 miles to the south of the center. The angry storm was described as one of the fiercest that ever prowled the seas. The winds are strong enough to collapse the walls of an ordinary frame house….

“Beulah has already killed 24 persons. The storm took 23 lives while careening through the Caribbean and across Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula. A 15-year-old girl was swept from her surfboard at Freeport, just south of Houston, by a wave rolling up the gulf from the storm….” (San Antonio Express, TX. “Killer Storm. Beulah Slams Texas. Big Blow Gaining Strength.” 9-20-1967, p. 1.)

Sep 21: “….State Civil Defense Director C. O. Layne said today that Hurricane Beulah “may have caused more damage in Texas than Hurricane Carla.” He emphasized, however, that this was only early speculation. Dangerous flooding and the menace of tornadoes continued to plague a wide area of southern Texas….

“Rains of more than a foot brought many streams above flood stage….

“The Red Cross said 84,877 persons slept In 295 shelters last night. Civil defense and Red Cross workers said they fed 90,322 persons this morning.

“Evacuation of low areas at inland points such as Cuero and Victoria began as heavy rains continued. Observers said many places which sustained wind and tide damage yesterday were suffering even worse today from flooding. The Guadalupe River was 6 feet above flood stage at Victoria. Rivers and creeks rose to flood stage faster than disaster relief officials could keep track of them. The little city of Alice, 40 miles west of Corpus Christi, was deluged by almost 7 inches of rain as Beulah’s eye passed through. Other towns and cities in the vicinity recorded rains in two-digit figures, topped by 13.80 inches at Tuleta, 70 miles northeast of Corpus Christi.

“A 13-day-old storm that began in the Atlantic, Beulah claimed 30 lives, six of them in Texas. Eighteen died in the Caribbean and the rest perished in Mexico.

“Flooding plagued the southern half of Texas and threatened to be a major problem for days. The rains showed no signs of abating as Gulf of Mexico tides swept up rivers to block the run-off of flood waters from Beulah’s rains.

“In an unprecedented move the U.S. State Department announced through Texas officials at Austin that the United States and Mexico had declared a disaster area along the border at the Rio
Grande. Brownsville’s sister city of Matamoros, Mexico, sustained heavy damage from Beulah, as did Reynosa, just across the river from McAllen….” (Corpus Christi Times, TX. “Hurricane Damage Set at About $500 Million. Storm Rains Bring Threat of Flooding.” 9-21-1967, p. 1.)

Sep 23: “Corpus Christi (AP) – The Rio Grande surged to its highest stage since 1938 Friday as billion-dollar Beulah died in northern Mexico, leaving devastation that will rank her forever among history’s greatest hurricanes. While the Rio Grande threatened vast new inundations, a great wedge of Texas as large as Indiana remained isolated. Interior streams, some of them feeding the Rio Grande, still poured from their banks, and torrential rain continued. In Weslaco an amateur radio operator broadcast: ‘The only way in is by air or submarine.’ A million or more persons were immobilized, unable to leave the flood-danger areas or to return to their homes and businesses.

“Gov. John Connally toured the beleaguered Valley from Port Isabel, where Hurricane Beulah first hit Texas with 160-an-hour winds early Wednesday, to Rio Grande City, 90 miles upstream. Connally said he would ask President Johnson to declare South Texas a disaster area. It might take three weeks, he said, to compile damage estimates accurate enough to put the request in official form.

“Meanwhile, the death toll from Hurricane Beulah rose to 35 — the latest three deaths reported in Reynosa [MX] and Rio Bravo [MX], just across the border from McAllen. Earlier, Beulah was blamed for 24 deaths In the Caribbean and the Yucatan Peninsula and eight in high waves, water and tornadoes in Texas.

“The Weather Bureau classified Beulah as the third-largest hurricane ever recorded. She spun off a record 95 tornadoes—almost six times as many as any storm before. The previous record was 17 tornadoes, from Hurricane Isabel which hit Florida….

“The Red Cross said 114,000 refugees spent Thursday night in 274 shelters. Continued flooding threatened to drive still more in search of haven Friday night.

“The flood area covered some 40,000 square miles of territory…” (Lubbock Avalanche-Journal, TX. “South Texas ‘Sea of Misery.’” 9-23-1967, p. 1.)

Sep 24: “Austin (AP) – Hurricane Beulah ‘may be only the second billion-dollar hurricane’ in history, the Weather Bureau noted Saturday [Sep 23]….

“`Only eight deaths – including four from tornadoes – have been reported in Texas and no lives were lost in the immediate coastal sections where the hurricane was most severe.’” (Express and News, San Antonio, TX. “Billion Dollar Beulah Set Many Records.” 9-24-1967, C2.)

Sep 26: “Harlingen, Tex. (AP) – Rio Grande floodwaters surged into downtown Harlingen today and crept over roofs in some residential sections as runoff rainwater loosed by Hurricane Beulah thundered toward the Gulf of Mexico. At least 200 homes…were inundated. More than 5,000 persons, or one out of eight in this South Texas city of 41,000 were evacuated.

“Some 20,000 persons throughout the 40,000 square-mile Texas region struck by Beulah remained in Red Cross shelters….

“The flooding became serious Sunday night after a diversion dam on the Arroyo Colorado broke, sending tons of water down that wide diversion channel. Conditions worsened Monday when another floodway diversion structure broke at Madero, farther upstream….” (Big Spring Daily Herald, TX. “Floodwaters Continue Surge into Harlingen.” 9-26-1967, p. 1.)

Oct 5: “Harlingen, Tex. (AP) — South Texans won’t be forgetting a storm named Beulah for mighty long time. The Weather Bureau said the hurricane was one of the most powerful in history. There isn’t much argument about that around here. Other hurricanes have all the characteristics of Beulah: High winds, heavy rains and spinoff tornadoes. What made her different was her extremism.

“A Weather Bureau estimate of 95 tornadoes associated with the storm stands far and away is the record. The previous high count was 17. Twisters were confirmed as far away from Brownsville, where Beulah smashed ashore Sept. 20, as Nederland, 330 miles to the northeast, and Temple, 350 miles to the north.

“The hurricane’s winds of 160 miles an hour were dangerously high but Carla mounted even stiffer ones in 1961.

“Although winds, both from the hurricane and from attendant tornadoes, wrought heavy damage, water that fell in Beulah’s monumental rains caused much more. Rains in the 20-inch range were officially recorded in much of the 24-county, 23,000 square mile region designated by President Johnson as a major disaster area. Unofficial measurements topped 30 inches. The affected counties have an average annual rainfall of 28 inches. But some, such as Zapata, catch as little as 17 inches per year.

“Thus, some towns and cities received as much precipitation in four days, Sept. 20-23, as they normally get all year. Some probably got almost twice their yearly total in that period. Whereas thousands of coastal residents fled inland before the hurricane arrived, the terrific rains spurred the evacuation of thousands more. For many, it was too late to escape farther than the nearest high ground — often times a courthouse or school — as flash floods cut off highway routes. At one time there were 114,000 sheltered in Red Gross and Salvation Army centers with countless others staying with friends and relatives.

12 Deaths Reported

“Round-the-clock bulletins on dangers of the storm, the many official and volunteer evacuation squads and a general respect by Texans of hurricanes kept the death toll to 12 in Texas.

“Beulah’s eye kept just on the coastline as she lashed her way from Brownsville to Corpus Christi and then veered inland. True to the tradition of hurricanes. she lost most of her power once over land but she surprised most by spurring strong winds as far as Alice, 44 miles west of Corpus Christi, and then weakening in her drive through Southwest Texas to near Laredo and to death against the mountains of Northern Mexico.

Guard Called Out

“The hurricane’s winds and tornadoes caused only the initial damage. The rains Beulah spawned deluged South Texas for days afterward to create a steadily deteriorating disaster. Gov. John Connally called out the National Guard and spent most waking hours with other state and federal officials at the Emergency Operating Center in Austin, two stories beneath the Department of Public Safety headquarters.

“The Lower Rio Grande Valley, where the economy almost totally revolves around agriculture, harbored thousands of Mexican nationals as the rains and the dangerously swollen Rio Grande marooned whole towns. For more than a week, the entire South Texas area from Corpus Christi up to San Antonio and down to the Rio Grande was sealed off from the rest of the state except by helicopters. Telephone lines were down in many places and the circuits were jammed and calls restricted for countless days to follow. Airport runways were flooded. Only Friday did state police tell frustrated refugees they could travel safely the roads to South Texas again. Col. Homer Garrison Jr., Chief of the State Police and Rangers, warned them to be ready for a shock, however, because many houses still were full of water and others were destroyed.

“He might have warned them In take along a few boxes of mosquito repellent for protection from the millions of pests bred while waters lay for more than a week over acres and acres. Big-bellied Air Force planes began spraying chemicals to kill the mosquitoes Friday and prepared to keep up the daybreak missions for two weeks or a month. Roads were in shambles in some areas where the long-standing waters eroded the foundations. Sewer and water systems were hard hit — as the persons who stayed behind in many cities knew all too well. The sewers backed up into the streets and the drinking water was contaminated. For long periods in some places there were no utilities in service for the residents to use in boiling the water to make it safe.

“National Guard troops made their way buck home, too, as the second week of Hurricane Beulah ended. They had been invaluable in ferrying supplies to water-isolated towns when only their big-wheeled military trucks could make it through. They helped evacuate hospital patients when waters threatened to engulf the medical buildings. During the final week, in particular, the U. S. Coast Guard planes plucked to safety hundreds of persons on both sides of the border from rooftops and railroad trestles and high patches of ground.

“The Mexican town of Camargo, about 4,000 population, was described as totally destroyed but its residents had fled on foot or in Coast Guard planes to the sister city across the river, Rio Grande City. The Texas fishing village of Arroyo City was one of the last victims as water covered parts of every building Friday.

“In both Texas and Mexico the rains filled reservoirs and relieved what had been a critical drouth. The prospect for lush winter grazing lands was greatly enhanced. Citrus growers said early estimates of their losses apparently were too high and assured the public that the valley still would produce a crop this year. A third of the delicate pink grapefruit crop and half of the orange crop wore destroyed. Most of the trees, however, came through in good shape. Most of the 8,000 acres of fall vegetables already planted in the lower valley — tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers –were lost to the floods and if farmers replant it can’t be until middle or late October. Some rice was blown down in Jackson and Matagorda Counties.

“Hurricane Carla did an estimated $400,000 to $500,000 damage but that of Beulah soared much higher long before the serious flooding ended. Sen. Ralph Yarborough (D- Tex) successfully tacked on an extra $10 million for Texas to a federal emergency disaster funding bill and then flew to survey the damage for himself.

“It was before a House Public Works subcommittee meeting in Corpus Christi that Yarborough spectacularly lashed out at Connally, a longtime political foe. He accused the governor of dallying in requesting the President to label South Texas a disaster area and free federal funds for rebuilding. Connally retaliated a day later, hurling the words ‘despicable man’ at the senior senator. The drama intensified when President Johnson’s announcement soon afterward that he was going to personally fly over the damaged regions of his home state – and take with him Yarborough and Connally, along with Republican Sen. Jon Tower and Valley congressmen. If Johnson had healed the breach between the governor and Yarborough, it wasn’t evident to persons watching the tour.

“The President formally declared the region a disaster site and released an $2 million to $2.5 million government money for the area as a start on rebuilding.

“Street crews already were hauling away debris, the citizens were airing out mildewed carpets and furniture while swatting mosquitoes, and city officials were meeting with federal agency representatives. The rebuilding had begun.” (Lubbock Avalanche-Journal, TX. “South Texas Won’t Forget Hurricane ‘Beulah’ Easily.” 10-5-1967, B9.)

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