HURRICANE BETSY SEPTEMBER 8-11, 1965 Prepared by U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Mobile District TABLE OF CONTENTS Authority Scope History and Description of Hurricane     General     Origin     Description and path     Areas affected in the Mobile District     Hurricane movement     Winds     Hurricane tides     Rainfall Emergency Activities     Advance preparation     Emergency activities - Mobile District     Post-hurricane activities     Other agencies Disaster Recovery Operations Under PL 875 - 81st Congress     Disaster declaration     District emergency organization     OEP mission assignments PLATES General Map Detail of Inundated Area, Mississippi Coast Path of Hurricane Betsy, August-September 1965 Estimated Wind Field, September 9-10, 1965 Rainfall associated with Hurricane Betsy Tidal Station Data, East Pearl River at Pearlington, Mississippi Tidal Station Data, Biloxi, Mississippi Tidal Station Data, Pascagoula, Mississippi Tidal Station Data, Dauphin Island, Alabama (Gulf Gage) Tidal Station Data, Mobile, Alabama (State Docks Gage) Tidal Station Data, Perdido Pass, Alabama EXHIBITS Letter from Harrison County Health Department Resolution by Harrison County Board of Supervisors OEP Request, C/E No. 1 OEP Request, C/E No. 2 and Supplements OEP Request, C/E No. 3 OEP Request, C/E No. 4 OEP Request, C/E No. 5 and Supplements PHOTOGRAPHS Erosion and highway damage - Bay St. Louis, Miss. Residential damage - Clermont Harbor, Miss. Residential damage - Clermont Harbor, Miss. Commercial damage - Clermont Harbor, Miss. Residential damage - Waveland, Miss. Residential damage - Waveland, Miss. Erosion and street damage - Bay St. Louis, Miss. Erosion with street and seawall damage - Bay St. Louis, Miss. Erosion and street damage - Bay St. Louis, Miss. Highway damage - Hancock County, Miss. Residential damage - Bay St. Louis, Miss. Hurricane tide at Biloxi, Miss. September 1947 highway damage in vicinity of Pass Christian, Miss. Pass Christian Harbor, Seawall and Artificial Beach Clearing operations - Pass Christian Harbor Vessel damage - Mississippi Coast ABSTRACT Hurricane Betsy, August-September 1965, was one of the most destructive of record in the United States with regard to property damage. The storm attained hurricane intensity about 200 miles northeast of San Juan, Puerto Rico, on August 29, 1965. After following an erratic and faltering course through the Atlantic Ocean and the Bahama Islands, it moved rapidly past the tip of the Florida peninsula and entered the Gulf of Mexico on September 8. It moved on a course curving northwestward and crossed the coast of Louisiana on the night of September 9. Continuing inland, it gradually degenerated into an extra-tropical stage over the Ohio Valley by September 12, 1965. This report described briefly the meteorological and hydrological aspects of the hurricane and describes and evaluates its effect on areas within the U.S. Army Engineer District, Mobile. The area covered comprises the three coastal counties of Mississippi and the extreme southeast corner of St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana. In the area covered by this report, the hurricane destroyed or damaged over 3,400 residences, 240 commercial establishments, 4 miles of railroad, 160 miles of paved roads, and 7 miles of seawall. Damages in the area aggregated about $21,000,000. The hurricane tide inundated about 110,000 acres in Mississippi, a large part of which is residential and commercial property. No lives were lost, but about 41,000 persons were evacuated to places of safety. LizardTech's Djvu plug-in is needed to view these reports. CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE ENTIRE REPORT For questions or comments, contact K. Van Wilson.