Hurricane Betsy

Was a killer at heart from the day she was born.

Far out in the sea , she traveled for days;

Her treacherous path was winding it's way.

To New Orleans on a Thursday night,

Where she filled our hearts with fear and fright.

All of a sudden from out in the sea,

She forced her fury on you and me.

The night was dark with wind and rain,

Fear of death ,injury and pain.

The levee broke,

there was little hope,

For life in the path

of the aftermath.

The water rose, the people were stranded,

Some were in feaar of being abandoned.

She made no distinction in color or creed,

We're all together in a time of need.

We prayed to our heavenly father above,

To please have mercy on those he loves.

Betsy took the lives of the ones we love,

To their eternal home above.

The shed and unshed tears of sorrow.

Will be remembered for many tomorrows.

A Survivor's Story

by

Janis Vizier Nihart

Our yard without our house. In the back is our shed(now a garage). Connected to the shed (to the right)was my playhouse.

This is a picture taken of Mom in the shed/garage shown in the black and white picture. She is pointing to the waterline left by the tidal wave from Betsy. This photo was taken in 1998 They have never washed it off and don't plan to do so.Each time she gets into her truck she sees a visual reminder of Betsy.

The Masonic Lodge, where we spent the second half of Hurricane Betsy

Betsy's Course(I don't remember exactly where I got this chart from--I didn't make it. I think it is someone named Mike who has a hurricane website)

The following is Mary Van Meter's experience with Hurricane Betsy.

I am 52-years (2005)old and lived in New Orleans when hurricane Betsy roared through. My family, with the exception of the stepfather, is from Honduras in Central America. We moved to New Orleans in 1960 briefly, moved to Florida, and came back to live in New Orleans in 1963. We lived in a flood-prone section of New Orleans. My parents, dog, and I rode out the storm until the eye passed and the flooding started. We waded through the dark flood waters during the "eye" of the storm and rode out the second half of the hurricane two houses down the road. The water just kept rising and drove us out of our house and the next door neighbor's house. Three families with at least one to two dogs per family found refuge in an attic until the next morning. Our neighborhood literally had turned into a lake. We were rescued by boat and taken to the highest building in the area. My parents, dog, and I walked in a state of shock upon leaving this building. I remember that we either found a taxi or my stepfather paid someone to drive us Uptown to my aunt's house where we stayed until we could get our life together.

I lived in New Orleans most of my life, but moved from Louisiana in 1990. I have been through the Northridge earthquake and numerous "shakers". I have IMMENSE respect for Mother Nature, but watching hurricane Katrina was just heartbreaking. I just cried and watched in horror at the devastation of the Gulf Coast. As frightening as the earthquakes are, having been through Betsy, I knew what those people were going through. I completely related to everyone. I will never forget our walk through the "eye" of Betsy. It was so dark and quiet. I have never experienced a stillness as the eye of a hurricane again. EEERY.... My heart goes out to everyone that experienced Katrina because not only the poor were hurt, everyone was. Hurricanes do not discriminate between social classes. Three of my family members lost everything and FEMA did not help them. Their homeowner's insurance basically waved at them and said "good luck." The people on the coast lines, like Grand Isle, Waveland got the brunt of Katrina, and again, my heart goes to all of you.

You know, I do not remember people counseling children who went through that type of trauma. Seeing the devastation of Katrina throughout the whole region was a "healing" process in itself because I actually have talked to my children about the fear, the winds, and the waters of Betsy. I was in a state of shock watching and tracking Katrina. It was like re-living Betsy, but Katrina may have been worse for Grand Isle, but I'm not sure. Again homes were lost--this time on the bayside of the island, smashed into pieces and some completely gone, just like Betsy.

So many years have passed since Betsy, but seeing the Gulf Coast in total meltdown brought it all back. It will be a long time before the Coast gets back on its feet, but hopefully things will be better. The Gulf Coast will rise again.

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The following is German Irving Vierma's experience with Hurricane Betsy. He encountered her BEFORE she even came into the gulf, at a time when we weren't even thinking of her.

It was my second trip as Junior mate on MV Mérida, a small vessel of 116 meters long. We sailed from Maracaibo, Venezuela, bound to Cape Hatteras, Baltimore, Philadelphia and New York. We had very bad weather from the beginning of the voyage, after passing windward pass between Cuba and Haiti it got worse, as I recall, we were some 200 miles behind Hurricane Betsy, plotting it per radio reports every three hours at usual. I remember that my trunk, the upper bed on top of the electrician's bed, fell down in one heading of the vessel. We couldnīt sleep for many days. Then suddenly, the hurricane stopped and began to turn around, our captain ordered a course east to avoid it, thus almost against the rules, as we were in the dangerous semicircle, but on the other side we had the Bahamas, there was no choice. Fortunately, Betsy didnīt follow the normal route, but headed westward, toward Key West. We passed safely and arrived in Chesapeake Bay after encountering very rough seas and winds of 90-100 Mph. Later we heard of the disaster in New Orleans, our Chief Mate had his home there and his garage was ripped away. That hurricane marked me well for the rest of my sailorīs life.

The following is a letter I received from Brian Schexnayder regarding his experience with Hurricane Betsy

I'M AT WORK AT JOHNS HOPKINS IN BALTIMORE BUT MY ATTENTION IS TURNED TOWARDS LOUISIANA AND THE PUNCH IT WILL SOON TAKE FROM LILI.

9/1965 9TH GRD LUTCHER HIGH SCHOOL, FOOTBALL BALL PRACTICE CANCELLED DUE TO REPORTED THREAT OF BETSY, 7 P.M. MY DAD CALLS FROM SHELL NORCO, WILL TRY TO GET HOME AFTER THEY SHUT THE PLANT DOWN, 10 P.M. WINDS RAIN STRONG, 10;10 PM. FINAL CONTACT WITH RED, CAN'T LEAVE THE PLANT.

11-12 MIDNIGHT FRONT OF STROM HEADED UP THE RIVER. sTRANGE WINDS, LOUD SOUND FROM THE ROOF OF OUR 3 STORY HOUSE ON RIVEROAD. CRASH, RUN UPSTAIR PULL DOWN THE ATTIC STEPS, SKY, RUN DOWNSTRAIRS LOOK OUT THE WINDOW OUR WHOLE 3RD FLOOR IS IN THE PASTEUR, WATER POURING IN FROM ABOVE.

NEXT, ERIE QUIET, WE ARE IN THE EYE, MY 14 Y.O SISTER , MOM, AND MERE-MERE. NO WAY OUIT NO WHERE TO GO, JUST SIT AND WAIT FOR THE BACK END TO ?????? BATTER US SOMEMORE.

5:30 AM NEXT DAY, WERE ABLE TO GET OUT OF REMAINS OF HOUSE AND GET ACROSS THE PASTEUR TO MY AUNT'S HOME. 8 A.M. WATCHED MY DAD RRIVE UP TO WHAT USED TO BE HIS HOME AND SAW A GHOSTLY EXPRESSION AS HE LOOKED AT WHERE HIS FAMILY HAD BEEN.

10 A.M. HELPING MY NEIGHBOR lUBBY CUT A TREE FROM HIS YARD, LUBBY WAS IN HIS 50'S . lUBBY TOPPLES OVER THE TREE DEAD FROM A HEART ATTACK.

NEXT TWO WEEKS WORKED WITH THE PONCHATRAIN LEVEE BOARD GETTING SUPPLIES (ICE) ETC TO RIVER PARISH RESIDENTS, CLEANING, THE OLD 3 STORY CYPRESS MANSION ON RIVER ROAD WAS A TOTAL LOSS EXCPET FOR SALVAGING THE CYPRESS FOR A CAMP ON BLIND RIVER.

yOUR STORY IS GOOD, I LATER WENT TO NICHOLS GRADUATED IN 1972 TRAVELED THE WORLD BUT THAT NIGHT AND MORNING LIVE ON AS THE MOST VIVID MEMORY I HAVE.

NOW I'M A MISSED PLACE BAYOU BOY IN BALTIMORE, I STILL BUILD BOATS, MY LAST WAS NAMED POULLE D'EAU.

I BELONG TO THE BARATRAIA TERREBONE ESTUARY FUND AS WELL AS THE CHESAPEAKE BAY FOUNDATION.

MY FAMILY SURVIVED AND PROSPERED FROM OIL AND REFINERIES, MY DIAD WORKED FOR SHELL OIL 30 + YRS. i HOPE THE LiLi IS MILD, THAT OIL AND CAJUN CULTURE CAN COEXITS AND THAT YOUR WEBSITE CONTNIUES.

BAYOUBRI BALTIMORE,MD BRAIN SCHEXNAYDER NICHOLL'S CLASS OF 72-73 ? IT'S BEEN A LONG TIME

GUESTBOOK

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