Tennessee’s Record-Breaking Flood Displaces Thousands
As evening fell across the rain battered central Tennessee area Sunday, May 2nd, Nashville was busy evacuating hundreds of people from their homes and businesses along the Cumberland River.
The heavy weekend thunderstorms left many dead all across the state and filled thousands of vehicles, houses and basements with dirty, muddy flood water. Entire neighborhoods were under water and dozens and dozens of residents are sitting in shelters, dazed and confused but happy to be alive.
The extent of damage is still yet to be known. On Sunday evening, city officials in Nashville closed down one water treatment plant, and the other serving Nashville is likely to be closed as well. Mayor Karl Dean took a helicopter ride over the ravaged area and said that he could hardly believe what he was seeing and also stated that the area appeared to consist of small islands, the flooding was so bad.
North of downtown Nashville, about five hundred residents were evacuated as well as over 150 businesses in the Metro Center area. Guests at a downtown resort were taken to a nearby high school, as this was the only place available that could hold the 1,500 people. Mayor Dean declared a state of emergency on Sunday and urged city residents to stay home and not to venture out on the streets and roads which were now fast moving creeks and rivers.
The Cumberland River that put a good part of downtown Nashville under water is expected to start to recede soon but not before it overflowed its banks caused by flash flooding occurring in streams and creeks that feed into it. The Opryland Hotel now has up to ten feet of water inside it as restaurant tables and chairs as well as crates of wine glasses are floating outside. It is estimated that it will be many months before the hotel will be able to open again. The Wax Museum of the Stars, a big tourist area in Nashville, was also heavily damage as a life-sized Elvis figure laid on its back in a neighboring parking lot.
Nashville’s airport reported getting 13.53 inches of rain beating the old record set in 1979. Countless schools are closed indefinitely after the Cumberland River splashed over its banks, sending torrents of deep, muddy water rushing in all directions. Tennessee residents can only hope for dry weather so that their nightmare will end, allowing them to assess the damage and start to get their lives in order once again.
