Bridgman - You inspired me. I am waiting for a report to be sent to my office, so I took some time to research...



Hurricane Camille hits August 17, 1969. Here are some excerpts from the news of the time. :

In reply to:

The morning after the storm, thousands crawled from beneath the wreckage in southern Mississippi, wandering zombie-like through the blasted landscape. *** In the first few days after the storm, normal society ceased to function. Immediately 15,000 people were homeless, there was no water, food, or fuel.*** The storm had wiped out all means of communication, and roads, bridges, airports, and even railways were impassable or destroyed. The Gulfport Hospital closed - and evacuated all 800 patients to hospitals in the center of the State. Adding to the devastated landscape, was a serious and growing vermin control problem.

Using federal troops and state police, all roads leading into the area where the eye had crossed the coast were sealed off. Military and local police imposed a curfew. The first problem to overcome was the thousands of dead farm animals, pets, and wildlife. Camille's incredible storm surge had drowned thousands of animals. Heavy equipment was brought in to bury thousands of dead cows, horses and pets. Next, insects and rodents had quickly overrun the stricken area - feeding on dead animal carcasses and rotting food. Rattlesnakes, fire ants, and rats bit dozens of victims as they sifted through the rubble. In an attempt to control fire ants, low flying spray planes roared up and down the Mississippi coast, dropping 100,000 pounds of mirex.

The state and federal government supplied thousands of bulldozers and dump trucks to cart away the twisted wreckage. Some of the debris was simply burned. What was not burned - was buried. Convoys of dump trucks continued removing debris, day after day for the rest of 1969.




Note the words inside the *** ________*** ... Basically, the federal response back then started arriving five days after the storm had passed.

And it is amazing how humor ands up with some truth - I have actually found websites which DO blame Bill Clinton for this. I wonder if there is one which will blame either Janet Reno or Newt Gingrich ...