Mississippi Gulf Coast reflects on Hurricane Camille 57 years after landfall

GULFPORT, Miss. (WXXV)- Hurricane Camille left a lasting mark on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Fifty-seven years later, the community still continues to honor those who lost their lives.

WXXV News 25’s Asia Ellis takes us to Evergreen Cemetery for the remembrance ceremony.

Hurricane Camille made landfall near Waveland in 1969 as a category five storm, killing 260 people and causing massive destruction along the Gulf Coast. This year marks 57 years since the storm made landfall. EMA Deputy Director Jason Purvis said, “It’s when things slow down and quiet that fear sets in, and you start thinking about all the things I’ve got to do. I think for elderly and children you have to put yourself in their shoes. Two feet of water doesn’t sound like much for a grown up, but to a young child two feet of water is all the way up to their chest, it’s very scary.”

Three women who lost their lives in Camille were never identified, but were given the names ‘Faith, Hope, and Charity,’ and buried at Evergreen Cemetery where they are honored every year.  EMA Director Matt Stratton said, “The Coast as a whole was just impacted so heavily by Camille, we have to remember and learn from our past and apply that moving forward to our future. In a situation like Camille, the technology is going to fail. So, we have to have those backups and alternative ways of doing things. There has to be means to continue on when our normal systems fail, and that’s what we plan and prepare for.”

The ceremony included shared memories, fresh flowers for the victims, and a moment of silence, followed by a closing prayer.