Trinity Church in Biloxi Before and After Camille

With the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico hosting a triple threat, the three tropical systems known as Ana, Bill and Claudette, it’s difficult to not remember Monday marks the fortieth anniversary of Hurricane Camille’s devastating and life-changing landfall in 1969.

On a personal (and brief) note, Camille was life-changing for me as my mother and I were nearly stranded only a few miles from and within a few hours of this monster storm’s landfall.  Due to a communications mix-up, it was a fluke the man who would become my hero and my dad, made one more pass through before leaving town.  It’s then he saw my mom and me (I was less than a year old, by the way), rescued us and took us far inland to safety.  Of course, this became their love story they continue to write each day and after forty years, it’s still my favorite story.

This, however, might very well be the only “happily ever after” that can be credited to Hurricane Camille.  With winds of over 200 mph, a hurricane warning wasn’t issued for Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana until the day Camille made landfall.  There was less than twenty-four hours for anyone west of Mobile, AL to prepare, or at least, for those hadn’t taken it seriously before.  Much has been said over the past four decades over how the warnings were handled; however, one must remember it was 1969 and the technological advances since then are nothing short of incredible.  The resources simply didn’t exist then that would have allowed the warnings we now have access to.

The Hurricane Center’s 8:25 AM CDT Statement that was released Saturday, August 16, 1969 - less than one day before Camille made landfall:

STATEMENT    8:25  AM  CDT    SATURDAY    AUGUST  16, 1969

TO SUPPLEMENT 9 AM  EDT  ADVISORY FROM MIAMI

A HURRICANE WATCH HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR THE MIDDLE GULF AREA FROM BILOXI,  MISSISSIPPI  TO  ST. MARKS,  FLORIDA.   SPECIFIC HURRICANE WARNINGS WILL BE ISSUED AT NOON TODAY FOR A PART OF THIS AREA.  CAMILLE IS A DANGEROUS HURRICANE AND PREPARATORY ACTION SHOULD BE STARTED IN THE AREA OF THE WATCH.   THE AREA SPECIFIED IN WARNINGS LATER ON SHOULD BE EADY TO START EVACUATION AND START PROTECTIVE ACTION IMMEDIATELY.

Twelve hours later, Camille began to make landfall along the MS Gulf Coast.

Camille was a big lesson, no doubt.   And her landfall didn’t determine its geographical area in terms of damage.  Flooding in Kentucky, West Virginia, Virginia and further north up the east coast was reported at levels not seen for over a century.  Nearly 6,000 homes along the MS Gulf Coast were demolished in their entireties, with many thousands more receiving damage not as catastrophic. And the lives lost?  Mind boggling.

The Corp of Engineers reported over 100 vessels along the coast were sunk, with thousands more damaged or “unfound”.  The insurance industry took a near $300 million dollar hit across several states.

As a result of those lessons learned, thirty-six years after Camille’s historic landfall, below you’ll find the stern and ominous messages the National Hurricane Center now releases as a result of what was learned during Hurricane Camille.  Watches are issued early and warnings are issued usually forty-eight hours before a hurricane is expected to make landfall, and of course, we now have a far better idea of where landfall occurs - not perfect, but much more accurate.  This text is verbatim from the National Hurricane Center’s site during Hurricane Katrina:

URGENT - WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NEW ORLEANS LA
1011 AM CDT SUN AUG 28 2005

…DEVASTATING DAMAGE EXPECTED…

.HURRICANE KATRINA…A MOST POWERFUL HURRICANE WITH UNPRECEDENTED
STRENGTH…RIVALING THE INTENSITY OF HURRICANE CAMILLE OF 1969.

MOST OF THE AREA WILL BE UNINHABITABLE FOR WEEKS…PERHAPS LONGER. AT
LEAST ONE HALF OF WELL CONSTRUCTED HOMES WILL HAVE ROOF AND WALL
FAILURE. ALL GABLED ROOFS WILL FAIL…LEAVING THOSE HOMES SEVERELY
DAMAGED OR DESTROYED.

THE MAJORITY OF INDUSTRIAL BUILDINGS WILL BECOME NON FUNCTIONAL.
PARTIAL TO COMPLETE WALL AND ROOF FAILURE IS EXPECTED. ALL WOOD
FRAMED LOW RISING APARTMENT BUILDINGS WILL BE DESTROYED. CONCRETE
BLOCK LOW RISE APARTMENTS WILL SUSTAIN MAJOR DAMAGE…INCLUDING SOME
WALL AND ROOF FAILURE.

HIGH RISE OFFICE AND APARTMENT BUILDINGS WILL SWAY DANGEROUSLY…A
FEW TO THE POINT OF TOTAL COLLAPSE. ALL WINDOWS WILL BLOW OUT.

AIRBORNE DEBRIS WILL BE WIDESPREAD…AND MAY INCLUDE HEAVY ITEMS SUCH
AS HOUSEHOLD APPLIANCES AND EVEN LIGHT VEHICLES. SPORT UTILITY
VEHICLES AND LIGHT TRUCKS WILL BE MOVED. THE BLOWN DEBRIS WILL CREATE
ADDITIONAL DESTRUCTION. PERSONS…PETS…AND LIVESTOCK EXPOSED TO THE
WINDS WILL FACE CERTAIN DEATH IF STRUCK.

POWER OUTAGES WILL LAST FOR WEEKS…AS MOST POWER POLES WILL BE DOWN

The Biloxi Lighthouse Before and After Katrina

AND TRANSFORMERS DESTROYED. WATER SHORTAGES WILL MAKE HUMAN SUFFERING
INCREDIBLE BY MODERN STANDARDS.

THE VAST MAJORITY OF NATIVE TREES WILL BE SNAPPED OR UPROOTED. ONLY
THE HEARTIEST WILL REMAIN STANDING…BUT BE TOTALLY DEFOLIATED. FEW
CROPS WILL REMAIN. LIVESTOCK LEFT EXPOSED TO THE WINDS WILL BE
KILLED.

AN INLAND HURRICANE WIND WARNING IS ISSUED WHEN SUSTAINED WINDS NEAR
HURRICANE FORCE…OR FREQUENT GUSTS AT OR ABOVE HURRICANE FORCE…ARE
CERTAIN WITHIN THE NEXT 12 TO 24 HOURS.

ONCE TROPICAL STORM AND HURRICANE FORCE WINDS ONSET…DO NOT VENTURE
OUTSIDE!

While researching for this article, I discovered a report released by the National Hurricane Center in September of 1969.  There are some interesting copies of what satellite imagery looked like then.  This in itself is enough to make us look at our current radars and satellites with a new appreciation.  The article, in .pdf format, can be read in its entirety here.

And now, it’s back to The Weather Channel for updates on the tropics…

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New Jersey just passed a law, slated to take affect January 1, 2010, that allows people who’ve lied in murder trials to no longer have the luxury of a statute of limitations to protect them should they get caught.  Currently, there are three states that have similar laws, including Arizona, Florida and Pennsylvania.  One of the state’s representatives, Renny Cushing (NH-D), said, “It’s one thing if you give false information about somebody stealing a bike, it’s another thing if you give false information about somebody stealing somebody’s life.”  This Senate bill passed unanimously.

With the advances of DNA, it’s become easier to identify those who’ve committed crimes, thereby ensuring the ease in identifying those who provide false alibis or other untrue information to law enforcement.  The punishments will vary depending on one’s involvement of a murder, but the potential for jail time is great.  Law enforcement is hoping it will serve as a deterrent for those who might consider lying or provide alibis to those suspected of killing another.  Further, when enough evidence isn’t available for a murder conviction but law enforcement finds evidence that proves the suspect tampered with evidence, the law will allow for tougher sentences.

Currently, the crimes that qualify for the death penalty in New Jersey are first degree murder, being a leader of a narcotics/drug trafficking network that ordered a murder or murder committed through the commission of a terroristic attack.  Further, the death penalty isn’t applicable to anyone under the age of 18, regardless of his crime.

Renny Cushing is the founder and Executive Director of Murder Victims’ Families.  His father was murdered in 1988 by two shotgun blasts by a neighbor.  He’s also responsible for New Hampshire’s Victims Bill of Rights law, passed in 2001.

As mentioned, there are only a few states with similar laws; however, other states are expected to follow suit in the near future.

Many describe Scientology as nothing more than a brainwashing cult that thrives on the weaknesses all of us have to some degree.  Over the years, there have been countless claims of abuse and misrepresentations and just as many denials from the ultra-private religion.  We do know this faith abhors the use of modern

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psychiatric practices, including the use of medications.  Even before the big Tom Cruise meltdown (which forever changed his image from a Hollywood hero to a disturbing has-been), Scientology had been accused of many wrongdoings, both medically and ethically.  Now, though, a former high-ranking medical official is telling the long overdue tale.

In 1995, a young woman left her Dallas home to join her fellow Scientologists in Florida.  While there, Lisa McPherson gained a “clear” status within the church which meant she was free of pain, trauma and bad feelings (this should’ve been a huge red flag years ago).  Within two weeks of this declaration by the church, she was involved in an automobile accident and was found nude walking the streets and shouting at passersby.  She found herself in a local hospital and was about to receive the mental therapy she clearly was in need of.  Once leaders in the church heard of this, a group of ten showed up and escorted her out of the facility and back to church headquarters.  They told the hospital they opposed psychiatric care on any level and that they would see to her proper medical treatment.

This is where Marty Rathbun says he began lying to outsiders.  He was ordered to reassure anyone who asked about her well-being that she was fine, when in fact, she was far from it.  Over the next seventeen days, she lost close to twelve pounds and had a complete breakdown.  Even when Rathbun called another Scientologist in the area who happened to be a physician, he still followed orders from his own leaders and disregarded the doctor’s insistence of taking her to a hospital.  What Rathbun and others within the church agreed to do was drive forty five minutes to the area in the state where the Scientologist/physician was located, despite her poor condition. Once there, she was pronounced dead on arrival.

Afterwards, church officials ordered any documentation that even documented her existence within the church walls be destroyed.  Rathbun told the group, “Lose ‘em” (referring to these documents). 

The woman’s family filed a wrongful death case against the church and settled for an amount that’s never been disclosed.  Now that Rathbun is no longer under the influence of the church, he’s agreed to come forward and was interviewed by a Florida newspaper.

Meanwhile, church officials continue to deny Rathbun’s story and say he was a “bitter former employee who never climbed as high in the ranks as he’d hoped to”.

We all anticipated many problems and even personal devastation due to the downward spiral of the economy. Throw some greed into the mix, and you come up with the likes of Bernard Madoff and now Marcus Schrenker, who attempted to fake his suicide and then tried unsuccessfully to follow through with what might’ve been a sincere attempt after the fake attempt failed. Sound confusing? Yeah, well…

The happenings over the past couple of days are a culmination of numerous lawsuits filed by investors who trusted this man with their life savings, accusations of his working as an adviser

Marcus Schrenker

without the proper licensing and an imminent divorce, partially due to extramarital affairs. He’s been called a pathological liar, a thief and a narcissist. He’s been accused of stealing retirement funds and kept monies due to insurance companies.

Once the gap began closing in behind him and he was served both divorce papers and a judgment that ordered him to repay over $500,000 to one company he defrauded - all within a week’s time, he made the decision to plan an elaborate escape that would appear to be a suicide. It might have been a bold move, except for the fact the execution of this scheme wasn’t perfect. He sent a “woe is me” email to a friend prior to his leaving Indiana and said that he’d embarrassed his family for the last time. The friend was concerned and turned the email over to Indiana police. His second mistake was sending out a distress signal just south of Birmingham, AL. When planes approached his, while still flying, in attempts to rescue him, they discovered a pilot-less plane that had been set to auto-pilot. The open door on the plane was probably a giveaway, I would think. The plane crashed close to the Alabama-Florida state line and it was nothing short of a miracle that the plane, when it crashed, didn’t kill someone on the ground. That was a huge risk he took with absolutely no consideration to the damage a wayward plane could potentially have to people who’d never even heard of him. Then again, his selfishness allowed him to bring pain to people he knows and loves; one can’t expect any considerations for perfect strangers. This was clearly not a last minute whim since he’d already hid a motorcycle in Alabama for the last leg of his escape. He was caught Tuesday night in Chattahoochee. He was found in his tent shortly after he tried to slit his wrists and was taken to a hospital, where he remains.

He now stands to be charged with countless other crimes in more than one state, since he was captured in Alabama and because his plane crashed in Florida, authorities will now have to decide whether to charge him with some kind of negligence or worse. Just a guess, but my money’s on his being a lonely soul right about now. He’s burned his marriage, destroyed his career and betrayed even his closest friends…all in his quest for money.

I’ve made it a point to steer clear of the whole Casey Anthony insanity.  Well, until yesterday.  And today.  But I couldn’t let the latest out of Florida go without a comment or two…or twenty.  Jose Baez, as we know, is one of Casey Anthony’s lawyers.  Unfortunately, recent stories have put him in a less than noble position.  Actually, the stories haven’t put him in this position - he’s managed it all by himself. 

Two weeks ago, he was warned to halt physical contact between himself and Casey Anthony during their visits.  He said he wasn’t aware of regulations that prohibited physical contact between prisoners and their legal counsel and that it was customary for him to hug all of his clients.  I doubt that, but that’s neither here nor there.  Still, a week later, the jail officials had to warn him yet again.  Not only is this being called unethical behavior, but he’s putting this entire case in jeopardy.  If she’s found guilty, this could be spun into some kind of justification for an appeal because of lines that are being crossed in the client/attorney dynamics.  He’s threatened to file a brief - although I can’t imagine how well that would go over, since he knows he’s crossed the line.  Of all the years he’s been inside that jail to visit clients,  surely he knows the rules by now.  To file a brief would require an explanation as to why he’s breaking the rules, and my guess is that’s one explanation he doesn’t want to provide.

It’s been hokey since the beginning.  His being in the Anthony home late at night, her all day visits to his office - it just seemed a bit too intimate.  I’m not suggesting anything along the lines of his betraying his wife, but he’s certainly betraying his oath as an attorney.  It’s almost as if he’s being drawn into her twisted thought process.  Some say he’s behaving more like a member of the family or a close friend than as a part of her legal team that’s supposed to be preparing a solid defense for her trial.  I’ve not seen the other attorney who was brought in whose experience in death penalty cases is required under Florida law.  He’s not been making statements to the media, nor does he appear to have much patience for this whole “woe is me” attitude that Casey Anthony is known for.  His goal is to defend her.  Period.  Many are beginning to wonder what Jose Baez’s goal is.  The lines are becoming blurred. 

It would be a shame to allow this one woman to jeopardize his entire career and possibly everything else in his life.  You can’t help but wonder what he expects to gain from this.  If he loses his credibility as an attorney, he won’t have a career, or at least, he won’t have an untarnished career.  It’s like so many other things in life, you don’t know what you want, but you sure know what you don’t want. If he’s not careful, he’ll become the “don’t want” of Florida attorneys.

Once again, another of our illustrious politicians has managed to wrangle up a scandal or two. The more things change, the more they stay the same.

This time, the winning state is Florida and the headline-making name is none other than Democrat Tim Mahoney.

Tim Mahoney has defended his actions of paying a woman he’d had an affair with. He says he did nothing illegal. I guess not. Most mistresses are accustomed to being “kept” and there’s nothing illegal about that. The bigger problem is his marriage and whether or not the Mrs. will allow him to continue breathing. Wouldn’t we just love to see one of these wives belly-up and demand a divorce? I would love to see one of them not stand by their husbands as he declares his unending love to “the woman who stood by me no matter what, who I have betrayed in the cruelest ways”, but instead, release her own statement along the lines of, “The arrogance and narcissistic nature of my husband has forced me to make a choice I never dreamed I’d have to. Because he can’t keep the pony in the

Tim Mahoney

barn, I have chosen to file for divorce.” I know we’ll never live to see a statement like that, but still, their passive and martyred natures are becoming tiresome. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not making light of an incredible difficult position to find yourself in. I know how exhausting and hurtful it can be. And it does go back to these politicians becoming accustomed to people following around in their attempts to be helpful and providing every miniscule request they demand. And too, the wives, once they discover the infidelity, most likely ensure life becomes less than pleasant for these political figures - at least their personal lives at home that are never exposed in the media. That is probably the safest way to ensure it doesn’t become a bigger scandal - the wives probably inflict their cold shoulders and temper tantrums at the one place the media has no access to - which, of course, is their home.

The one winner in this scandal is the former aide whose bank account is now $121,000 to the good. Oh, and lest we forget, Tim Mahoney won his bid after his adamant insistences of returning “morals and family values” to politics. This, of course, was the same position that was open due to Mark Foley’s suggestive and what some insist were sexual text messages to young Washington male pages.

His declaration of having done nothing that violated his office or any laws might be true, but a wise man would think more of the long term consequences of the violations against these morals and family values he hung his promises from.

Need proof that the scandalous political cycle exists? This should provide it.