HURRICANE CAMILLE August 14-22, 1969 Prepared by U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Mobile District TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction     Authority     Purpose and Scope History and Description of Hurricane     Origin     Intensification     Landfall     Overland     Areas affected in the Mobile District Meteorological and Hydrological Data     Wind     Barometric pressure     Rainfall     Temperature     Tides     Comparative meteorological data Inundated Areas     Description of coastal counties affected     Acreages flooded Emergency Activities     Advance preparation     Emergency activities     Post hurricane activities     Evacuation     Relief activities Damage Appraisal     Scope and accuracy of investigation     Damage survey procedure     Definition of damage categories     General description     Residential damages     Commercial damages     Industrial damages     Damages to schools and churches     Hospital damages     Transportation     Government (Federal)     Government (Non-Federal)     Marine damages (Non-Federal)     Agricultural damage     Debris removal     Utilities     Summary of damages by category, flooded area     Summary of damages, non-flooded area Relief and Miscellaneous Expenditures     Definition     Relief expenditures     Federal agencies     Non-Federal agencies     Summary Summary of Damages and Disaster Relief Expenditures     Mobile District     Total estimated storm damages Fatalities TABLES 1. Summary of Weather Bureau advisories and bulletins 2. Records of pressure, wind, and precipitation 3. Temperatures 4. High-water elevations, Hurricane Camille 5. Comparative wind speeds, Hurricane Camille and other selected Gulf Coast hurricanes 6. Comparative data on severe hurricanes affecting the Gulf Coast within Mobile District 7. Comparison of Camille tides with previous record highs 8. Areas flooded by Hurricane Camille 9. Effect on offshore islands 10. Summary of evacuees 11. Summary of residential units damaged or destroyed, coastal counties 12. Summary of commercial establishments damaged or destroyed, coastal counties 13. Damage estimates for Mobile District navigation projects 14. Marine damages 15. Summary of estimated damages within inundated areas 16. Summary of estimated damages, by categories, outside flooded areas 17. Summary of estimated damaged, Mobile District DRAWINGS 1. Path of Camille at landfall 2. Map of disaster area 3. Camille's windfield 4. Map of damage areas PLATES 1. General path of Camille 2. Isohyetal 3-6. Weather station data 7. High-water profile 8-17. Tidal station data 18. Index map, inundation area 19-39. Inundation map ABSTRACT Hurricane Camille, a tightly-knotted and said to be the most intense hurricane on record to enter the United States mainland, was first reported as a tropical storm which formed rapidly from a tropical wave in the Caribbean near Grand Cayman Island on August 14, 1969. The storm took a north-northwestward forward movement increasing in intensity as it moved toward land. When the center was 140 miles southeast of New Orleans, central pressure was measured at 26.61 inches of mercury, third lowest in history, and surface winds were calculated at 201.5 m.p.h. The eye crossed in the Mississippi coast near Bay St. Louis about 11:30 PM CDT on August 17, 1969. At landfall, winds approaching 200 m.p.h. and tides ranging up to 22 feet above normal devastated the Mississippi coast, killing 137 persons, leaving tens of thousands homeless, and inflicting over one half billion dollars in damages in Mississippi and Alabama alone. From landfall, Camille moved north across Mississippi, weakening as she continued her destructive path inland. Heavy rains fell as she crossed Tennessee, Kentucky, West Virginia, and Virginia, creating flash floods and mud slides along the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. A record high flood was produced on the James River, wrecking most of the river towns from Lynchburg to Richmond. In its trek across the United States, Camille killed 262 persons and reduced thousands of buildings to rubble. The true economic loss will probably never be known, but estimates so far aggregate nearly one billion dollars. This report contains the meteorologic and hydrologic phenomena of the hurricane and describes and evaluates its effect on areas within the U.S. Army Engineer District, Mobile. The data presented in the report have been derived from the most reliable sources of information available at the time. 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.