Camille Brought Changes to Emergency Management; 40th Anniversary Approaches for Virginia’s Worst Natural Disaster
Almost 40 years ago, the remnants of Hurricane Camille forever
changed the lives of many Virginians and permanently altered the
landscape of the Commonwealth. The storm also drastically changed
emergency management in Virginia and throughout the country.
Prior to Camille, emergency officials focused on protecting
Virginians from the effect of atomic bombs. The night of Aug. 19, 1969,
changed that.
Camille was a weakening tropical depression when it entered
Virginia, and no one was expecting the 12 to 27 inches of rain the
storm dumped in just a few short hours. Water flowed down
mountainsides, uprooting trees and hurling them through homes,
businesses and vehicles. Landslides were so deep and deadly that they
swept away entire families, communities and even a tractor trailer that
was never found.
Nelson County bore the brunt of the storm as 27 inches or more fell
– an estimated 1.2 trillion gallons of water. Extensive river flooding
affected Buena Vista, Lynchburg, Scottsville, Richmond and many other
areas.
Camille left 153 dead in Virginia, more than 300 homes destroyed,
133 bridges washed out and damage of more than $140 million, an
enormous amount for the time. President Nixon declared the state a
disaster area.
News of the devastation was slow to reach Richmond and the State
Office of Civil Defense, which would later become the Virginia
Department of Emergency Management. Officials began to act, but
Virginia did not have a state emergency operations plan. Federal
assistance was very limited.
Things changed after Camille. In 1971, the Commonwealth developed
its first natural disaster plan. Testimony from Virginia state and
local officials helped in the creation of the Disaster Relief Act of
1974, the forerunner to the current national disaster recovery law.
“Up until that time, our agency focused mostly on protecting
citizens from the threat of atomic bombs,” said Michael Cline, state
coordinator for the Virginia Department of Emergency Management, who
joined the agency in 1972. “After Camille, it was apparent that we had
to help prepare and protect people from natural disasters and also
improve our response and recovery plans.”
Virginia’s emergency
operations plan has been improved many times during the years and now
reflects both human-caused and natural hazards.
“Emergency management is much more defined now,” said Cline. “Local,
state and federal responders train year-round. We have new technologies
that give us critical information in real time, and we work together
under a standardized structure. We are much better prepared to protect
people and property.”