Hurricane Camille was the third named storm and second hurricane of the 1969 Atlantic hurricane season. Camille was the second of three Category 5 hurricanes to make landfall in the United States during the 20th century, which it did near the mouth of the Mississippi River on the night of August 17, resulting in catastrophic damage.
The storm formed on August 14 and rapidly deepened. It scraped the western edge of Cuba at Category 3 strength. Camille strengthened further over the Gulf of Mexico and made landfall with a pressure of 900 mbar (hPa), estimated sustained winds of 200;mph (305 km/h), and a peak storm surge of 24 feet (7.3 m); by maximum sustained wind speeds, Camille was the strongest landfalling tropical cyclone recorded worldwide, and one of only four tropical cyclones worldwide ever to achieve wind speeds of 190 mph. The hurricane flattened nearly everything along the coast of the U.S. state of Mississippi, and caused additional flooding and deaths inland while crossing the Appalachian Mountains of Virginia. In total, Camille killed 259 people and caused $1.42 billion (1969 USD, $9.14 billion 2005 USD) in damages.
- "Roar Of The Heavens: Surving Hurricane Camille," Stefan Bechtel (Citadel Press, 2006) ISBN: 0-8065-2706-4
Images for kids
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This New Orleans radar image of Hurricane Camille was taken less than 50 miles from its center on August 17 1969 at 10 p.m. CST
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National Hurricane Center Track Forecasts for Camille from western Cuba onward. The system's actual track is marked by the line farthest to the west.
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The eastbound lanes of heavily traveled United States U.S. Highway 90 suffered broken pavement during Hurricane Camille, which halted traffic
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Richelieu Apartments before Camille
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Richelieu Apartments after Camille
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Camille Storm Total Rainfall
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A large, antebellum mansion destroyed by the high winds and storm surge.
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Comparison of Hurricanes Camille (left) and Katrina on satellite imagery