Regional Impact of the Tennessee Floods
The flood situation in Tennessee and Mississippi has caused a devastating situation for the region. The damage that the flood waters have caused is massive in terms of human suffering, property damage and untold millions of dollars that will have to be spent to repair the flooded region. While rescue workers continue to search for stranded residents and pull people out of their damaged homes, the impact of the flooding is still not known.
Many of those suffering from flood damage do not have the financial resources to begin the hard work of repair to bring their homes back. The regions hit by the floods are not necessarily flood prone areas and some homeowners do not have insurance that will cover this type of event. For those homeowners, restoring their family home may be a difficult if not impossible prospect.
Some of the counties in the region have been declared by the federal government as eligible for assistance and it is hoped as the damage is assessed, more counties will be added to the list. The eligibility for federal assistance is paramount to these counties that require funds to begin cleaning up the area.
Economic impact in the region also includes lost revenue from the local tourist attractions including the Grand Ole Opry and the surrounding hotels and attractions. The total financial impact is not yet known, but it could be months before the tourist attractions are ready to welcome guests back to the region.
Rescue workers are busy providing food and shelter to those left in dire circumstances by the floods. Some families have lost everything in the floods and are turning to assistance just to survive. Roads are closed in and out of the region making it difficult for travelers to Tennessee and Mississippi get out.
The residents of the tent city located on the banks of the Cumberland River have been returning to the area as the water recedes to see if any of their belongings survived the damage. The area is completely devastated and this leaves about 140 homeless residents with nowhere to turn.
Cleanup and recovery is expected to take many months before some semblance of order is restored to the area. In the meantime, some of the poorer members of the community are left looking for a way to survive the damage and move forward.
