Here is what I originally wrote here...
CapeVerdeWave wrote:If you look at pictures of Camille's damage, do you notice that most of the damage was from surge? Also, do you notice that some structures are entirely destroyed while others appear pretty intact (other than for internal damage inside the structures)? If Camille was a Category Five, or if Camille's sustained winds were even near as strong as mistakenly indicated (190MPH), you would see complete destruction. If Camille had sustained Category Five, or even strong Category Four, winds, you would see nearly everything just about leveled. However, you don't see that very much in the pictures of Camille's damage. I think Camille might have been a Category Four, or even a Category Three, at landfall. The wind damage in Camille just does really add up to Category Five, or even possibly strong Category Four, destruction. I am not saying at all that Camille was not devastating or destructive; I am just saying that Camille is very likely less intense than originally thought. In fact, Camille might have been about the same strength as Katrina is now believed to be: a low-end to moderate Category Three. Also, even with the surge, although Camille was devastating, I think Katrina beats Camille in both death and destruction by far. In fact, if Camille is weaker than thought (which is highly likely), Camille's records would likely have very easily been broken some day. This means that, if many people had known that Camille was much less intense than thought and seen what a Category Three or Category Four storm (which Camille likely actually was) could do, it is possible that some of the unexpected damage and complacentness of many residents who did not leave for Katrina might have been avoided. When you think about it, Camille likely weakened before landfall like Katrina did. Even at it's peak intensity, I think Camille was still a Category Four or borderline Category Four/Category Five with the highest sustained winds at 150MPH to 155MPH. Even if Camille did actually reach Category Five status at one point, I think the highest sustained winds were closer to 160MPH to 165MPH - not 190MPH. The 190MPH winds in Camille were gusts. If people had this knowledge before Katrina struck, some might have known that there would highly likely come a day that Camille's records would be broken and that even a weakening storm or Category Three at landfall could cause devastation. This might have saved many lives from Katrina. Who agrees?
This is my opinion. Any thoughts?
P.s.: The reason why some people didn't leave for Katrina at first was because they didn't think it would be worse than Camille. If they had known the truth I said above about Camille, destruction, and how even low-end Category Three or weakening storms can cause complete devastation, lives may have been saved from Katrina's wrath. Do you agree?
