Hurricane Camille Remembered on Storm's 50th Anniversary
There’s a lot to remember about events in 1969: Woodstock; the Beatles’ last album, Abbey Road; Apollo 11 and Neil Armstrong’s walk on the moon; and the creation of a draft lottery to raise soldiers for the Vietnam war. This year, local memories are focused on recognizing the devastation of Hurricane Camille, when the population in Nelson County was reduced by 1% by lives lost in the devastating flood.
Camille, a Category 5 hurricane, hit the Mississippi Coast causing widespread damage, but limited, according to the Weather Bureau, to the Gulf Coast area where warnings were issued. No one expected the storm to come so far inland and hit Central Virginia so hard.
During the night of August 19, Nelson County was in the path of this devastating disaster, which brought a deluge to the Blue Ridge mountains without warning. The Virginia Department of Historical Resources Highway Marker states: “A rainfall in excess of 25 inches within a 5-hour period, swept away or buried many miles of road, over 100 bridges, and over 900 buildings. 114 people died and 37 remain missing. The damage totaled more than $100,000, 000 and Virginia was declared a disaster area.”
The 50th anniversary of Camille has been recognized by the Nelson County Historical Society and Oakland Museum in a series of events throughout the year. On Saturday, June 15, Jimmy Fortune & Friends presented A Concert for Camille at Rockfish Valley Community Center. Jimmy Fortune, now of Statler Brothers, recognized in the Country Music Hall of Fame, along with Bennie Dodd, and Joey Davis, told stories and sang songs about Camille. An opening song by Benny Dodd described how Route 29, then known as the “Lovingston Bypass” served as a landing place for helicopter rescues after the flood. Songwriters Emily Moxley and James Raleigh Satterwhite were recognized for their song the trio performed called “Prevailing Rain,” with lyrics telling of “the rain kept falling, the water did rise high, the mountains did crumble and the people did cry.”
Fortune told the audience of learning to play his banjo as a young man and losing the instrument in the flood. Worst of all was losing Mitchell, one of the former band members who disappeared at Davis Creek. This tale was followed by a song he wrote, “You’re Not Forgotten,” which tells the story of August 19-20 in lyrics including, “Storm was coming without warning, rain came down with a mighty roaring sound …”
https://www.crozetgazette.com/2019/07/05/hurricane-camille-remembered-on-storms-50th-anniversary/
= new reply since forum marked as read
