The Army Corps of Engineers declared that the Nashville Flood of 2010 is not the horrible "100 year flood" that we hear about. They deemed this a "1000 year flood". The national media is finally picking up the story of Nashville. Some are calling it "breaking news". The people of Nashville are too busy picking up the pieces, looking for missing loved ones, sifting through debris, and working hard to help each other to mention that this news "broke" about 5 days ago. Though you may be very late to the punch, national media, thank you for coming here and allowing us to tell our stories.
I got these images from The Boston Globe. These pictures describe in real ways what we've all been experiencing here. Obama declared it a national disaster area (so FEMA funding is now possible). The Governor declared damages yesterday of well over 1 BILLION dollars. I'd say that's a conservative estimate.
The Cumberland River floods outside of its banks Tuesday on May 4, 2010 in Nashville, Tennessee. More than 13 inches of rain fell over two days, more than doubling the previous record of 6.68 inches and leaving as many as 30 dead in Tennessee. (Jeff Gentner/Getty Images)
The General Jackson showboat floats near Opryland Hotel and Opry Mills...all suffered major damage from the flood. The Grand Ole' Opry lost everything...equipment and set...and the Opry suffered major water damage inside. Many country stars lost their homes and equipment. Keith Urban, Vince Gill, Ben Folds and others had their musical gear all stored in the same warehouse. All of it...gone. Kenny Chesney's house is completely under water. What I appreciate about these stars is that all of them have come together to help raise awareness and money for flood victims saying, "We realize we can afford to replace these things...most can't replace what has been lost."
The loading docks at the Opryland Hotel are flooded and damaged from heavy rains on Monday, May 3, 2010. All of the estimated 1,500 guests were evacuated overnight. (AP Photo/The Tennessean, John Partipilo)
Michael Bunch wades on a flooded downtown sidewalk in Nashville, Tennessee on Monday May 3, 2010. (Rusty Russell/Getty Images)
Shipping containers float in floodwater Tuesday, May 4, 2010, in Nashville, Tennessee. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
State vehicles sit stranded in a parking lot on May 4, 2010 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Rusty Russell/Getty Images)
Floodwater from the Cumberland River creeps into downtown Nashville, Tennessee, Monday, May 3, 2010. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
Residents remove flood debris from their homes Tuesday, May 4, 2010, in Nashville, Tennessee.
Gabe Gardiner, left, sits with a neighbor on his living room sofa outside his flood damaged home in the River Walk subdivision of in Nashville, Tennessee, Tuesday, May 4, 2010. (AP Photo/Frederick Breedon)
Lighthouse Christian School teacher Heather Harrell reacts after finding her grandmother's Bible in her classroom that was destroyed by the flood in Antioch, Tennessee on Monday, May 3, 2010. (AP Photo/The Tennessean, Shelley Mays)
Clare Baker, right, hugs her friend, Melinda Murphy, as Murphy leaves after helping Baker salvage items from Baker's flood-damaged home on Tuesday, May 4, 2010 in Nashville, Tennessee. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)
Metro Fire Department Special Operation rescues a Belle Meade police officer off Harding Road in Belle Meade, Tennessee on Sunday May 2, 2010. Police officer Norm Shelton was clinging to a tree for an hour before being rescued. The location of his patrol car is unknown. (AP Photo/The Tennessean, Shelley Mays)
A sign in River Front Park becomes visible once again as the waters of the Cumberland River slowly started to ebb across from LP Field, Tuesday, May 4, 2010, in Nashville, Tennessee. (AP Photo/(M. Spencer Green)
A vehicle rests upside down in a sink hole which opened on West Forest Avenue during heavy storms just west of Madison County General Hospital on Saturday, May 1, 2010 in Jackson, Tennessee. The vehicle's driver was rescued and taken to the hospital. (AP Photo/The Jackson Sun, Morris Abernathy)
The roof of an SUV is just visible, submerged in flood waters covering downtown streets and sidewalks May 3, 2010 in the Lower Broad district of Nashville, Tennessee. (Rusty Russell/Getty Images)
A flooded neighborhood in Nashville, Tennessee, is seen Monday, May 3, 2010. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)
Jennifer Coleman walks down a ditch where a car identified by family members as belonging to Bill and Frankie Rutledge, Coleman's aunt and uncle, was found Monday, May 3, 2010 in Nashville, Tennessee. (AP Photo/Ed Rode)
Robert Turner describes the rapid rise of water in his home May 4, 2010 in the Bordeaux district of Nashville, Tennessee. (Rusty Russell/Getty Images)
Cars and trucks sit covered with debris as they wait to be cleared from I-24 east. The wooden structure to the left is the porch of a building that floated down I-24 earlier according to TDOT workers on the scene. (AP Photo/The Tennessean, Tom Stanford)
The inside of a water damaged car is seen in a severely flooded West Nashville neighborhood on May 4, 2010 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Jeff Gentner/Getty Images)
A woman wades through flood waters on a downtown sidewalk May 3, 2010 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Rusty Russell/Getty Images)
Dover Anthony sings on as he overlooks the parking lot of submerged cars at the Knights Motel in East Nashville, Sunday, May 2, 2010. (AP Photo/The Tennessean, John Partipilo)This video shows both the devastation AND spirit of Nashville. God is here in the midst of all of this!
The following post has inspired our city. The messages stated here ring true and describe the deep character and spirit of the people of Nashville.
link to the blog post that created a movement here: http://www.section303.com/we-are-nashville-4366
That blog post also inspired a t-shirt that is being sold that profits flood victims. Here's a link to the t-shirt: http://store.coolpeoplecare.org/products/we-are-nashville-t-shirt
4 comments:
Thank you again for such great reporting. And you are right! I heard about the flood from your blog, not from the national news. Thanks for the other links you included.
Wow....those pictures and the video are amazing. I live in the DFW area and we heard very little about the scope of this flood. The quote was priceless in the video...you heard nothing of looting and crime sprees...and that Nashville is taking care of itself. Prayers to your community!
Alyssa--always great to see you stop by. Thanks for the comment.
Linda--thank you so much! We need it here!
It is funny how a story can take so long to become known outside the area directly affected. I work in Millington, TN, a blue collar community just north of Memphis, and it has been devastated. There are so many who, like in Nashville, have lost everything and had no flood insurance. I have been preaching for over 30 years and this is the first time in my life that I have been at a church that was forced to cancel services twice in one year, first for snow and then for flood. One bright light is seeing so many people coming together to help in any way needed .
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