Hurricane Camille Visit

[galvbay]

My wife and I just spent the last 5 days in Biloxi visiting the sites and beaches(and dropping some quarters). I have always been curious about the 'famous' Richelieu Apartments that were completely washed away with 23 victims while having a 'Hurricane Party'. I have shown a 'NOVA' video to my students the last 10 years that has a interview with the sole survivor. We camped with a couple that we work with that grew up in Biloxi and were there during Camille. He also knew about the story so we started our 'quest' to locate the Richelieu Apartment. After a visit to the Pass Christian Chamber of Commerce, the city library and finally, the City Hall we got our directions for the location of the apartment. A very nice clerk in the city hall told us if we really wanted some good informatin to visit Billy Bourdin..the local plumber. We found Mr. Bourdin eating lunch at his shop and when we asked about the storm he dropped everything he was doing to show us his photo album. He was one of two firemen that stayed at the firehouse during the storm. He is a living record of what went on during Camille. If anyone needs research material or just wants to listen to some incredible Camille stories...you have to visit this man! Now, back to the Richelieu Apartments! There was no hurricane party.....there were 8 deaths, not 23....there were 2 survivors, not just the one. We did finally find the location of the apartments. There is a brand new Winn Dixie Store located on it. The parking lot is where the old apartments once stood. Here is a good link for Camille informatin http://sciencepolicy.colorado.edu/pielk ... index.html

[Guest]

That's an awesome story Galvbay. You meet a real survivor from Camille. Strange how facts get misorted during the years. I am going to check out the link. Thanks for the story and posting here on storm2k. Hurricane history is my second favorite thing to read next to tracking the storms.

Patricia

[Toni - 574]

Thanks for sharing the facts of what actually happened. I looked at some of the links and the pics are breath taking. I can't even begin to imagine what it must have been like and I hope and pray to GOD that I nor anyone else will never have to experience something like that.

Toni

[vbhoutex]

I went through Camille from 120 miles east of the center in Pensacola. DJ(Arizwx)was in Meridian, MS during Camille. What Galvbay says is so accurate. The only time I have seen devastation like I saw after Camille is in pictures after bombing raids!! So sad to know that the Richelieu is now a parking lot for a Winn Dixie!!! I remember those apartments well.

No matter how much I might despise a person, I would NEVER wish a CAT5 like Camille on my WORST ENEMY!!! The storm itself and the aftermath were and are truly indescribable!!! The pictures in that link brought back many memories!!

[MGC]

And, right across the street ground has recently been broken on a new condo development......did you happen to visit Gulfport small craft harbor where a pole is marked with the high water of past hurricanes? Camille's is way at the top of the pole..........MGC

[MScoast]

I've seen that MGC...It's amazing to say the least. I had NO idea that the water was that high.

Galvbay...I hope you enjoyed your visit to the MS gulf coast. Thanks for the link. I'm gonna go check it out.

[Lindaloo]

I am also a Camille survivor. I know about Mr. Bourdin and I know where the Winn Dixie is. Before the casinos moved in, there were plenty of reminders on the Biloxi beachfront. There were old concrete steps where homes once stood. The old shrimp boat that you see in photos washed up on the beach is now Scranton Museum in Pascagoula. There is also an old steeple that remains where a church once stood. After the storm people gathered under it for church services. Even the bell was spared.

That storm was so devastating, an urban legend emerged out of it about the "Hurricane Party" at the Richelieu Apartments.

The photo of "Mississippi City" is actually Pascagoula.

[HoumaLa]

Thanks for sharing that with us we go to Biloxi every year and never thought about doing that.

[isobar]

There was no hurricane party.....there were 8 deaths, not 23....there were 2 survivors, not just the one.

Have I been living under a rock? This is the first I've heard that there was no hurricane party. Everything I've seen and read stated it as fact. And the death count was a *little* off, huh?
Didn't realize we had a number of Camille survivors here.
Thanks for the link galvbay. I bookmarked it for later.

[Colin]

Wow... that's a really cool story. Sounds like you guys had a really cool time there! Sounds like a cool place... I'd love to see where the apartments were... probably a little creepy though.

Did you ever here WHY they said there were 23 deaths and ONE survivor? Why is there such a difference between the two?

[vbhoutex]

Wow... that's a really cool story. Sounds like you guys had a really cool time there! Sounds like a cool place... I'd love to see where the apartments were... probably a little creepy though.

Did you ever here WHY they said there were 23 deaths and ONE survivor? Why is there such a difference between the two?

CAN WE SAY URBAN LEGENDS???

The apartments did exist(obviously)and I remember going by them several times and there always were people out by the pool area. Being right across the highway from the beach I'm sure made it a popular party place. Thee actually is an explanation somewhere of how this story came to be, but I can't tell you where it is because I never wrote it down. All the pictures in the link look incredible, but I can tell you that is not the half of the destruction. I saw entire forests laid flat 100 miles inland, huge steel signs twisted like spaghetti at the same location and along the coast I clocked on my odometer for 8.1 miles there was not a single structure that could be called standing for at least a quarter of a mile inland!!! I've posted to other things I saw elsewhere, but to say the least the destruction caused by Camille was INDESCRIBABLE!! Knowing where the fire station was, I for the life of me know that Mr. Burdin must be a cat with 9 lives!!! I have no idea how he survived!!!!

[Colin]

Oh, yeah, Duh... Urban Legends... LOL!

Didn't even think of that...

[Lindaloo]

If you had read my post Colin you would have read what I said about the urban legend coming out of a devastating hurricane. lol.

One structure in Gulfport, which is right on the beach, was the only one that was left standing with minimal damage. The church was the Gulfport First Baptist Church, where it still stands today.

Baricev's seafood restaurant rebuilt... guess where? Yep, right back on the beach.

[JetMaxx]

Fortunately extreme hurricanes like Camille are a freak....and require perfect atmospheric conditions.

As bad as Andrew was in south Florida, a Camille size/ intensity hurricane in the same location would be far worse:

1) storm surge would be 19-20' vs 17'..and 12'+ over a larger area.

2) Camille's eyewall was larger (twice the size of Andrew's)....meaning much more of an impact in Coral Gables/ Key Biscayne/ Miami & Miami Beach

3) Camille was a stronger hurricane at landfall...sustained winds IMO 180 mph (similar to Mitch at his peak).

As deadly as Camille was...256 confirmed dead + 68 bodies never found (incl. 107 deaths from severe flooding in Virginia)....it honestly could have been far worse.
In 1969, the Mississippi Coast was very sparsely populated compared. Also, if Camille had struck only 50-60 miles farther west, New Orleans would have been destroyed...IMO thousands would have perished....it would have been worse than the Galveston hurricane of 1900.

[galvbay]

According to Mr. Bourdin (and I have NO reason not to believe him) and the 23 so called deaths at the apartment. He told us that a man in a truck was picking up bodies the day after the storm and was at the apartments when someone asked how many bodies he had...the reply was 23. However.....some of those 23 bodies had been picked up at a church earlier before he went to the apartments. The number '23' stuck. Asked about the 'party'......he told us that there was no record of people having a hurricane party. If you do a search on the apartments...there are some interesting stories about the 'legend'. If anyone is in the Pass Christian area....it is worth the trip to visit Mr. Bourdin! galvbay

[vbhoutex]

Perry, I could not agree with you more!!!!

I was in Pensacola, FL when Camille hit. We had 100 mph winds in gusts with sustained at 84 mph if I remember my numbers right. Pensacola is 120 miles from Biloxi and the actual landfall was west of Biloxi in Pass Christian. If I remember correctly gale force winds were recorded all the way to Panama City, FL which is 200+ mi E of landfall. NO on the west side of the eye by only about 70 miles had winds to 70 I think. I'm sure someone can correct me on the info not about FL. To say the very least, Camille was an incredible undescribable Hurricane the likes of which I HOPE WE NEVER SEE AGAIN!!! Almost anywhere along the Atlantic or Gulf Coast, except for a few places, a storm(let's say a twin) like Camille would make the Galveston hurricane look tame in terms of numbers and make Andrew look like pennies.

[Lindaloo]

Actually galvbay... there were 24 people total who had decided to ride out the storm. 12 in one part of the complex and 12 in another part. 12 of which were having mixed drinks. The other 12 were friends and were going to stay together in one apartment.

A lady and her husband tried to push themselves against the door to keep the water out. The water rushed in anyway and they were swept out the window. Her husband drowned, but she floated on debris and was found miles inland.

That is well documented. Mr. Bourdin may be correct about the actual body count at the time regarding the pick-up truck. But some of the bodies were not found at the apartments but 30 miles inland. The apartments were washed away, therefore I am sure the people were too. Mr. Bourdin is known to add to stories.

[Colin]

Yeah, Hurricane Camille was quite a storm... I've heard stories about it and all I can say to myself is, "Wow, what an incredible storm..." I love reading the stories of those who experienced it! :o Must've been REAL rough!

[timNms]

As a seven year old in 1969, my memories of Camille are limited. We lived in in the country just north of Seminary, MS, which is about 100 miles north of Gulfport, MS. I do remember the house we lived in was very small. It was a 3 room house with no indoor bathroom. We had an outhouse! Our house had a tin roof. My mother says that during the night winds were easily sustained at 100mph. We lost part of our roof and our kitchen was flooded. Numerous pines and oaks were downed in the woods behind our house. My mom says she stayed up all night praying, all the while listening to the house groan, creak, and pop during the winds. I remember getting up the next morning finding my brother's and my bed filled with cousins! They'd left a newer house that lost part of its roof and driven 3 or 4 miles to our house in the storm to ride it out with us. I can remember there was still wind and rain during the day, but the wind wasn't as strong as it had been during the night. We were on the back edge of the backside of the hurricane by then. Power was out for at least a week afterward.
My dad, a carpenter, and some of his friends went to the coast to help rebuild. He said the destruction was amazing. He also said that there were those people who were only there to take advantage of those who'd been devastated by Camille. He said some people were charging outrageous prices to rebuild homes. He couldn't believe how dishonest some people were.
I can only imagine what it must have been like to have been on the coast during Camille's fury. I've been doing some research into the storm and found several interesting links. I've heard that her sustained winds were anywhere from 160mph to over 200mph at landfall. According to the official reports from the NHC sustained winds were 190mph at landfall. Look thru the gifs on this link and you can read the reports from the first one to the last one. ftp://ftp.nhc.noaa.gov/pub/storm_archiv ... 9/camille/
It's amazing how much the Mississippi coast has grown since Camille. I can only imagine what would happen should another Camille decide to visit Mississippi!

[Lindaloo]

In reply to your post about price gouging homeowners, it still happens today. Thanks to our attorney general Mike Moore he has made it a felony to overcharge for any services rendered after a storm. For instance, if gas is a buck before the threat of a cane it will remain that price when we are threatened. Same with plywood and water.

Right before Georges in 98, Lowes was selling their chipboard for 6 dollars a sheet. When Georges was a real threat they raised the prices to 10 bucks a sheet. If they are caught price gouging in the state of MS they will be fined BIG and/or jailed.