l rains engulf the Arno and Po rivers causing massive floods to overwhelm Florence and Venice, destroying millions of dollars’ worth of art and priceless historic documents, 13,000 shops, and killing 113 people.
Record Floods in Gujarat India – Aug. 7-14, 1968: More than 1,000 people drown, vast areas of land submerged under 10 feet of water for more than a week. 80,000 head of cattle drown, then carcasses rot in the streets.
Intense rains, landslides in Southern California – Jan. 18-26, 1969: Powerful storm dumps torrential rains on Southern California, causing massive landslides which kill 95 people. More than 100 boats sink, $138 million in damage.
Hurricane Camille, Southern U.S. – Aug. 17-19, 1969: Costliest storm up to this date in the U.S., 218 mph winds devastate Louisiana and Mississippi, thousands left homeless, over one billion dollars in damages. Storm stalls over Virginia, dumping up to 46 inches of rain in only six hours over the headwaters of the James River. Nelson County, VA is virtually erased when an estimated 630 million tons of water is dumped on it by the storm. 1000’s of landslides, dead and rotting animal carcasses. Noise from storm measured at 120 decibels.
Compiled by Randall W. Carlson, 2009
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