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…

Once again, New Orleans has reclaimed the unwanted title of the nation’s murder capital.  The FBI released its statistics this week and after losing this title for a year, it’s found itself at the top yet again.  With 64 killings per 100,000 people, it comes in well ahead of St. Louis, in second place, with 47 murders per 100,000.

No city wants this title, but New Orleans has had an especially tough time over the past several years.

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Hurricane Katrina’s devastating effects remain, both on a physical and psychological level, unemployment rates have never recovered and are still incredibly high and of course, poverty runs rampant in one of the most beautiful and historical cities this country has to offer.

2008 looked promising for the city.  Murder rates were down nearly 15% at the end of the year with a total of 179.  That was a decrease of 31 murders from 2007.  Hopes were high as the city struggled to move forward, despite its violent reputation.  The fact populations numbers were on the rise, even as the murders were declining only added to that hope.

2008 also brought an increase in the number of police officers on the city’s force and with that, city officials were hoping for a continued trend in the decrease.  Unfortunately, that simply didn’t pan out and now, once again, leaders struggle to not only understand why, but how they can begin to see those numbers decrease.

As time moves forward, so does progress as this southern city works to reestablish its court systems.  New buildings are still being constructed four years after Katrina and new infrastructures are being developed as well.  Hopefully, with federal funding and a continued commitment among the residents and police officials, New Orleans can finally shed its unwanted title and can work to become a favorite vacation or retirement area.  For those who’ve never visited New Orleans, you owe it to yourselves to see the historic cemeteries, churches and other landmarks.  And, too, you’ve not lived until you’ve survived a night on Bourbon Street and witnessed the personalities and charm that makes New Orleans…well, New Orleans.

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Growing up in south Mississippi, you grow accustomed to nothing being a secret.  Just when you think you’ve managed to keep the cover on some interesting tidbit and are sure you’re the only one privy to some enticing story, you realize everyone else, from the state line of Alabama to the state line of Louisiana, is thinking the same thing you are: everyone thinks they know something no one else knows, only to find out everyone already knew.  Until today.

Turns out Gulfport’s mayor, Brent Warr, one of the most favorite politicians on the coast, has been indicted on sixteen federal charges, including conspiracy to defraud the federal government by lying to both FEMA and HUD to receive monies set aside for Hurricane Katrina victims. He and his wife, Laura, have both been indicted and each

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faces up to 210 years in prison and over $4 million dollars in fines.  Here’s the shocker: no one knew.  No one was aware they were even due in court for any reason today.  It wasn’t until the indictment was opened and read in the U.S. District Court could you hear the gasps across the state.  They both have pleaded innocent in the presence of their lawyer.

Gulfport Mayor Brent Warr

They’ve been accused of taking money earmarked for residents whose primary residences were damaged and needed financial assistance to restore their homes.  The home the Warrs’ claimed was indeed damaged.  It’s located directly on the beach and is a beautiful white mansion, complete with huge white columns, indicative of how homes were built in the late 1800s.  The problem, though, is that it wasn’t their primary residence and in fact, they weren’t even living in it.  His only statement, made today, reads, “This inquiry has been going on for more than a year now, and we hope and pray for a much faster resolution.  We have entered a plea of not guilty.  Out of respect for the justice system and the government, I will not speak further about the claim made against us.”  That’s interesting because he makes no mention of his neighbors and the citizens as a whole in Gulfport who didn’t have access to these kinds of funds, and in fact, many are still waiting for some kind of resolution to their own claims.  These are the same neighbors and citizens who elected him into office only a month before Katrina made landfall in August, 2005.  In fact, he was so popular that his name had been mentioned several times when a replacement for Senator Lott was being considered.  At the time, he said he wouldn’t be pursuing that option since he was so busy with the recovery effort on the coast.

The indictment reads:

Count 1:        Conspiracy to defraud the federal government by lying to FEMA and HUD to receive emergency disaster assistance funds for their beachfront mansion.

Count 2:        Fraud for filing a FEMA disaster claim in which they misrepresented 1814 Beach Drive as their home when Katrina hit.

Counts 3-6:   False statements about the beach home; specifically, filing a disaster assistance claim, signing a sworn statement that information in the FEMA claim was true, filing for a federal homeowners assistance grant from HUD, swearing in a statement to the Mississippi Development Authority that information in the grant application was true.

Maximum penalty on each count, counts 1-6: five years in prison, $250,000 fine.

Counts 7-8:   Theft of FEMA funds; theft of HUD funds.

Maximum penalty on each count, counts 7 and 8: 10 years in prison, $250,000 fine.

Counts 9-11:  Wire fraud for electronic transmissions from FEMA of $2,000, $2,358, and $5,200 from Sept. 15, 2005 through Nov. 29, 2005.

Count 12:       Mail fraud for $150,000 homeowners grant check on Jan. 19, 2007.

Counts 13-16:    Mail fraud against Lexington Insurance Co. regarding misrepresentations about personal property, alternate living expenses and the extent of renovations in relation to the beach home; misrepresentations resulted in checks Lexington mailed for $4,271.33, $29,526.31, $29,442.46 and $25,200, each representing a separate charge.

• Maximum penalty on each count, counts 9-16: 20 years in prison and $250,000 fine.

For now, the trial’s been set for April 6^th.