With Gemini 5’s space flight as a backdrop, the impending destruction of Hurricane Betsy, or ‘Billion-dollar Betsy’ as she came to be known, is expressed in vivid shots of the storm forming and trekking across the Atlantic. ‘A Hurricane Called Betsy,’ shows the monstrously disastrous, billion dollar, storm as it slammed into New Orleans at 110 miles per hour, with stories and tales from people in the midst of the chaos. Hurricane Betsy was a costly precursor to the levee breaches of Hurricane Katrina, being the first time the levee’s failed in the city and resulting in the formation of the U.S Army Corps of Engineers. Amazing shots from weather satellites, engrossing human dramas, and terrifying winds enhance the story of destruction and terror.
Hurricane Betsy was the first tropical cyclone in the Atlantic Basin to cause at least $1 billion (1965 USD) in damage. The third tropical cyclone, second named storm, and second hurricane of the 1965 Atlantic hurricane season, Betsy developed on August 27 in an area of disturbed weather east of the Windward Islands. Forming as a tropical depression, it tracked generally west-northward until crossing on August 28. Thereafter, it tracked north-northwestward. By August 29, the depression strengthened into Tropical Storm Betsy. The storm then rapidly intensified and became a Category 1 hurricane later that day. Betsy executed a small cyclonic loop on August 30 and August 31, followed by a turn to the west on September 1. Significant intensification resumed on September 1, and by the following day, Betsy was a Category 3 hurricane. By late on September 3, Betsy became a Category 4 hurricane. While northeast of the Bahamas, Betsy became tracking erratically and executed another cyclonic loop, starting on September 4. The storm steadily weakened, and was briefly downgraded to a Category 2 hurricane early on September 6. However, the storm promptly re-strengthened into a Category 3 hurricane. Betsy then tracked southwestward and then westward through the Bahamas. By early on September 8, Betsy made landfall on Key Largo as a Category 3 hurricane. Betsy entered into the Gulf of Mexico and re-strengthened into a Category 4 hurricane on September 9. While approaching the Gulf Coast of the United States, Betsy peaked slightly below the threshold for Category 5 hurricane status. However, further intensification was halted after Betsy made landfall in Grand Isle, Louisiana later on September 9. Once inland, the storm rapidly weakened, and became extratropical over Ohio less than four days later. Although it passed through the Lesser Antilles, impact in that region is unknown. High winds in the Bahamas caused significant damage throughout the island chain.
We encourage viewers to add comments and, especially, to provide additional information about our videos by adding a comment! See something interesting? Tell people what it is and what they can see by writing something for example like: “01:00:12:00 — President Roosevelt is seen meeting with Winston Churchill at the Quebec Conference.”
This film is part of the Periscope Film LLC archive, one of the largest historic military, transportation, and aviation stock footage collections in the USA. Entirely film backed, this material is available for licensing in 24p HD and 2k. For more information visit http://www.PeriscopeFilm.com
