Hurricane Betsy (1965)

After crossing the Bahamas, Betsy came ashore in the upper Florida Keys near Key Largo at 1100 UTC on September 8, 1965, as a Category 3 hurricane with 100-knot (115 mph) winds, according to NHC's best track.^1,2,3 It made a second landfall near Grand Isle, Louisiana, at 0400 UTC on September 10 as a Category 4 hurricane with 115-knot (132 mph) winds and a 946 mb pressure.^1,2

Winds of 100 to 140 mph hit from Homestead south through the Keys, and the National Hurricane Center in Coral Gables measured a 105 mph peak gust.^2,3 The Weather Bureau's preliminary report estimated $100 million to $150 million in damage along the lower Florida east coast from wind, tidal flooding and beach erosion, and four deaths in Florida.³

In Louisiana, the Grand Isle Coast Guard station reported gusts to 160 mph, Houma reported gusts over 130 mph, and New Orleans winds reached 125 mph before the city's Weather Bureau office lost power.² The report estimates tides of 10 to 12 feet above mean sea level over most of the coast from east of Grand Isle to the Mississippi coast, with 8.9 feet near Grand Isle at landfall and 7 to 10 feet along the Mississippi coast, and the Mississippi River at New Orleans rose 10 feet.² Wind and water destroyed several communities along the Mississippi River below New Orleans, about 1,000 homes were destroyed, and the report estimated 150,000 more would need major or minor repairs.² NHC lists 75 US deaths and $1.42 billion in US damage in 1965 dollars.⁴