Hurricane Camille 1969

Hurricane Camille, 1969

Hurricane Camille was one of the most intense and costly tropical storms ever to hit the United States mainland. On August 17, 1969, it devastated the Mississippi - Louisiana Gulf Coast with high tides and then weakened and dumped torrential rains over Virginia's Blue Ridge Mountains, causing flash floods and landslides. Camille, with 125 mph winds and 20 ft tides, caused a total of 248 deaths and $1.42 billion in property damage along the Mississippi - Louisiana Gulf Coast and in Virginia.

One week after Hurricane Camille devastated the Mississippi - Louisiana Gulf Coast, a four-man team from the National Bureau of Standards investigated the damage to buildings and other structures. Their report, Hurricane Camille, August 1969 (NBS TN 569), provides the details of their findings.