A moment later, t he hurricane, in one mighty swipe, lifted the entire roof off the house and skimmed it to 40 feet through the air. The bottom steps of the staircase broke apart. One wall began crumbling on the marooned group. Dr. Robert H. Simpson, director of the National Hurricane Center in Miami, Fla., graded Hurricane Camille as “the greatest recorded storm ever to hit a populated area in the Western Hemisphere.” In its concentrated breadth of some 70 miles it shot out winds of nearly 200m.p.h. and raised tides as high as 30 feet. Along the Gulf coast it devastated everything in its swath: 19,467 homes and 709 small businesses were demolished or severely damaged. It seized a 600,000-gallon Gulfport oil tank and dumped it three and half miles away. It tore three large cargo ships from their moorings and beached them. Telephone poles and 20-inch-thick pines cracked like guns as the winds snapped them. To the west of Gulfport, the town of Pass Christian was virtually wiped out. Several vacationers at the luxurious Richelieu Apartments there held a hurricane party to watch the storm from their spectacular vantage point. Richelieu Apartments were smashed apart as if by a gigantic fist, and 26 people perished. Seconds after the roof blew off the Koshak house, John yelled, “Up the stairs—into our bedroom! Count the Kids.” The children huddled in the slashing rain within the circle of adults. Grandmother Koshak implored, “Children, Let’s sing!” The children were too frightened to respond. She carried on alone for a few bars; then her voice trailed away. Debris flew as the living-room fireplace and its chimney collapsed. With two walls in their bedroom sanctuary beginning to disintegrate, John ordered, “Into the television room!” This was the room farthest from the direction of the storm. For an instant, John put his arm around his wife. Janis understood. Shivering from the wind and rain and fear, clutching two children to her, she thought, Dear Lord, give me the strength to endure what I have to. She felt anger against the hurricane. We won’t let it win.