Facts About Hurricane Camille That Changed The Gulf Coast Forever

Hurricane Camille occurred in August 1969.

It affected most of the continental United States, also known as the Atlantic Basin. The hurricane lasted for about eight days and caused great destruction.

Hurricane Camille lasted from August 19-22. It affected the coastal regions significantly and also damaged some parts of the inland areas.

The inland areas were also damaged due to floods and landslides. The nation's weather bureau had issued a watch of the storm in Florida and the other regions as soon as August 16. Even though preparations were made, there was still a significant loss of property and lives.

Meteorological History

Hurricane Camille was one of the most intense tropical cyclones. It caused significant damage to life and property. The hurricane also led to the development of further calamities like flash floods.

Originating as a tropical wave off of Africa's west coast on August 5, 1969, it traveled westward and was caught through satellite imagery a few days later. Forming a circular convection area, the wave traveled across the Lesser Antilles, and by August 13, it had reached Jamaica's southwestern coast. The storm's convection had further spread to the Bahamas too.

Moving towards the northwest direction, the tropical wave transformed into a tropical depression on August 14, and a few hours later, it advanced to a tropical storm. The specific area further aided the transformation into a tropical storm it was located in that provided it with a warm environment and extremely light wind shear.

The low-level inflow that the storm had derived out of the deep southern Caribbean constantly brought in moisture.

The storm deepened rapidly as it reached Cuba's western coast and elevated to the status of a hurricane. Before landfall, the eye of the storm was tracked from Havana through radar.

It developed into a category two hurricane as it moved between Guane and Cape San Antonio on August 15. Crossing western Cuba, Camille's wind speed picked up before it crossed over to the Gulf of Mexico.

Hurricane Camille was initially predicted to move northeastward over the Florida panhandle. However, the prediction was proved wrong when it carried on in the northwest direction.

Rainbands surrounded the hurricane as it moved on its course. Due to the contraction of the eye of the storm into a small size, it became hard for the hurricane hunters to determine the hurricane's strength. Hurricane Camille was declared a category five tropical cyclone on August 16.

While maintaining a small eye, Hurricane Camille continued to move over to the United States Gulf Coast. The forecasters still expected that the hurricane would turn towards Florida.

Hurricane Camille lost its momentum briefly and was reduced to a category four status. However, it soon picked up vigor and returned to being a category five tropical cyclone. Going through the course, the hurricane passed by southeastern Louisiana at a close range before it made landfall in Bay St. Louis, located in Mississippi.

The sustained wind speeds of the hurricane were maximum at the coastline. These sustained winds were estimated to have a speed of around 175 mph (280 kph). As it progressed more towards the inland, Hurricane Camille began to weaken. It first weakened to a tropical storm and then to a tropical depression.

As a depression again, Camille towards the northeast and north directions. On August 20, while turning towards Kentucky, it created heavy rainfall in Virginia and West Virginia.

On the same day, to the east of Norfolk, while moving into the Atlantic Ocean, the depression once again gained momentum, turning into a storm. As it moved towards east-northeast, the storm had an interaction with another hurricane, Hurricane Debbie, in the southeast direction and frontal storm, resulting in a transition of the two entities into an extratropical cyclone.

Finally, on August 22, the absorption of Camille by the frontal system took place towards Atlantic Canada's south direction.

Impact And Aftermath

Due to the extremely high intensity, long duration, and long stretch, Hurricane Camille was able to cause a high amount of damage to various areas along the Gulf Coast of the United States.

While the warning had been issued about the hurricane, there were still a lot of obstacles and issues that sprung up during the preparation against the storm.

Landing in Waveland, Mississippi, Hurricane Camille impacted a large area along the Gulf Coast. While no damage was reported, the hurricane caused heavy rainfall in Grand Cayman. Severe damage was caused by the hurricane across Pinar del Rio Province because of river flooding. It also caused damage to about 100 houses in the Isle of Pines.

The strong sustained winds caused power failure and the falling of trees in Havana's capital city. The government dispatched medical teams in the Cuban region after the hurricane had passed to provide typhoid vaccination services to the people.

Mudslides were created in the ocean floor along the Gulf of Mexico. This lowered the ocean floor, which combined with strong winds and waves resulted in the destruction of three oil platforms.

As Camille was approaching Mississippi, the electricity went off, and highways flooded. Except for Waveland and Bay St. Louis, other coastal communities were destroyed due to fires. The hurricane destroyed the antebellum Trinity Episcopal Church in Pass Christian, where 15 lives were lost. Camille destroyed almost the whole coast of Mississippi and some inland areas.

US Highway 90 stretch in Alabama was also damaged. Several businesses and houses were destroyed throughout Alabama state. Apalachicola in Florida experienced a high storm surge. However, in Kentucky and Tennessee, the hurricane caused moderate rainfall and helped with the drought situation in the area.

In West Virginia, it caused flooding, which led to the destruction of numerous trailers and houses. Nelson County in Virginia received the most rainfall during the hurricane. There was also a high death rate in Nelson County.

The amount of rainfall was so high in Nelson County that reports were recorded of cows floating and birds in trees drowning. While in some areas, flash floods and mudslides caused death and destruction of several bridges, they also led to entire communities drowning in water.

Davis Creek in Nelson County also suffered from severe damage due to extremely heavy rainfall and flash flooding.

Communications were cut off, and transportation and traveling became nearly impossible too. Roads, homes, office buildings, small shops all suffered damage during the hurricane. The financial aid required in the aftermath of Hurricane Camilla was tremendous.

Along with the financial aid needed for rehabilitation, there were other requirements, such as medical aid. The hurricane had also led to the development of certain diseases directly and indirectly. There were also those physically hurt because of being caught in the storm.

Comparison To Hurricane Katrina

Experts have noted down the distinct aspects of different hurricanes throughout their existence. Many have also studied and compared Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Camille. While there are some similarities between the two hurricanes, there are also several distinctions.

Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Camille occurred in August but different years. Camille came first in 1969, and Katrina hit in 2005.

According to the data provided by the national weather service, which followed the path of both hurricanes, they traveled to different parts. Still, they reached the same region on the Mississippi river's coast. They also caused similar destructive outcomes in the area.

The process of intensification was more rapid for Camille than for Katrina. Moreover, Camille also had a second re-intensifying period which did not happen for Katrina. Both hurricanes underwent similar rapid intensification periods through their course.

During the time of landfall, both hurricanes moved at a similar forward motion. Because of the greater size of Katrina, the storm surge of Camille was less than the storm surge of Katrina throughout the locations they hit.

The names of both hurricanes were retired later on.

Naming Issues

Each hurricane is recorded for data purposes with a different name. A system is created to allocate a name to a hurricane upon its discovery. Hurricane Camille got its name through this system too.

Women's names were used for the Atlantic hurricanes during the '60s. These names were replaced and reused every four years. This process of retiring hurricane names was initially temporary, and each name was retired for a period of ten years. In 1961, 'Carla' as a name was retired and replaced by 'Carol' in 1965.

'Carol' was added to the 1969 list of hurricane names but was opposed by the National Hurricane Research Laboratory (NHRL). The research laboratory asked for the name 'Carol' to be removed from the list in addition to 'Edna' and 'Hazel' since there were still research papers being written and published on them.

Due to this, there was a need for a replacement name with the letter 'C.'

Camille, daughter of John Hope, had involvement in math and the advanced science program organized in her high school. For this program, she carried out a research project independently. John Hope requested Banner Miller to guide her in her project about long-term atmospheric trends and hurricanes. Miller suggested Camille's name for the list after being impressed by her research.

Other Miscellaneous Facts

Hurricane Camille was noted for its intensity and the amount of destruction it caused in the southern coastal region of the United States. Various experts have researched and studied it because of its path and intensification periods.

After the formation of Camille and its detection, the National Hurricane Center had issued a warning and advised communities near the coast and on Isle of Pines to evacuate the area. The storm surge created by Camille was one of the extremely high-intensity surges recorded in the Atlantic Basin during that time.

The National Weather Service reported that it was the highest rainfall recorded in the area of Nelson County in history.

FAQs

Q: Was there a warning for Hurricane Camille?

A: Weather officials had issued a warning regarding the hurricane for the Florida panhandle, and it was also extended to coastal areas of Alabama and Mississippi.

Q: What was unique about Hurricane Camille?

A: Hurricane Camille ranks second regarding the intensity of a tropical cyclone that has ever hit the United States.

Q: Where did Hurricane Camille originate?

A: The point of origin of Hurricane Camille was an area south of Cuba, and it initially started from a tropical depression formed through a tropical wave on August 14, 1969.

Q: How many died in Hurricane Camille?

A: More than 259 people lost their lives (that we know of) when Hurricane Camille hit Mississippi state's coast and further led to floods and more damage as it crossed the Appalachian Mountains range.

Q: What category was Camille?

A: Hurricane Camille was a category five hurricane.

Q: What was Hurricane Camille's wind speed?

A: The highest wind speed of Hurricane Camille was 174 mph (280 kph).

Q: How long did Hurricane Camille last?

A: Hurricane Camille hit on August 14 and lasted till August 22, 1969.