I've been glued to Twitter and my laptop lately, which in and of itself isn't all that unusual. This time, though, it's not for fun. I'm glued to the photos coming out of Nashville. I'm riveted by the tweets falling under the #nashvilleflood hashtag.
Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
I'm a Hoosier through and through, but my heart will always belong to Nashville. I might have been born and raised in Indiana, but I grew up in Nashville. Mike and I moved there the day after we were married and spent the next ten years there. We rented our very first apartment together in Bellevue, a suburb that now finds itself under water. We spent our 2nd anniversary as tourists in our own town, spending the night in the lovely Opryland Hotel. The same Opryland Hotel that is now more than 10 feet under water. We cheered on our Nashville Predators in the Gaylord Entertainment Center (yes, I know it goes by another name now, but it will always be the GEC to me). Also flooded. I saw Peyton Manning play for the very first time at the home of the Tennessee Titans. The stadium overlooks the Cumberland River and where there was once a football field there is now . . . water. I couldn't wait for my dad to come to town so I could show off the Grand Old Opry and the Country Music Hall of Fame, both of which now sit in muddy water. We bought our first home in Nashville and brought our first born home there, just a few miles from Interstate 24 and Bell Road – the one with the school building floating down the highway. One of the very last things I did before moving to Indy was to take Elena to the Nashville Farmers Market one last time. We bought two pounds of Tennessee strawberries and polished them off while sitting in the grass next to the market.
I can't imagine what it must be like to be a Nashvillian right now, to see the city you love covered with water but not with national media attention. I'm thankful that my brother's home was spared, as were the homes of so many dear friends. I hurt for those who didn't fare as well, who never thought anything like this would ever happen in Nashville.
I'm not comparing this flooding to the devastation Katrina wreaked on the city of New Orleans in any way, but I do think there is a parallel. The city of Nashville, like New Orleans, is an American treasure. Its history, its architecture, its deep connection to country music, its people . . . they are one of a kind and deserve to be taken care of.
As the waters subside and specific needs are communicated to me, I will share them with you in hopes that together we can help the people of Nashville recover and repair their homes and their city. In the meantime I encourage you to make a small donation to the American Red Cross. You can text REDCROSS to 90999 to give a $10 donation to the Nashville Flood Relief effort.
To all my Nashville friends: if you have any specific ideas on how we can help, please leave them in the comments section. You are so Nashville if you do. Love and hugs and prayers to all.
Update: As of Thursday, May 6, the best way you can help if you're not in Nashville is to donate to the American Red Cross as I mentioned above. I just found out that Tide's Loads of Hope outreach will be in Nashville. I've known some bloggers who have helped with this campaign post-Katrina and it's a huge blessing for those affected. You can support Loads of Hope, and therefore support flood relief in Nashville, by purchasing a shirt or specially marked bottles of Tide.
J says
Out of all the blog posts that have been written about the flooding in Nashville, I think this is one of the best I’ve seen. Thanks, and kudos especially for the part about Katrina. There’s so much (justified) shock in Nashville right now over just how bad it’s gotten in areas, and I’ve seen a few comments asserting that what’s happened here and what Katrina caused in NO are on the same scale. We’re in bad shape here, and we definitely do need aid, but that comparison just does not hold (thankfully for us; let’s hope no community ever has to go through what NO did). So thanks for the even-keeled part about the parallels and for the lovely words about Nashville.
Katy says
It really is the weirdest thing. I find myself having to actively SEARCH for information, photos, etc. — there, of course, never being a headline on cnn.com. I kept thinking, really? I need to totally depend on i-reporters for this? The Grand Ol’ Opry is UNDERWATER, people! (And of course I only knew this because of your RT). I know there’s oil in the gulf, and that’s bad. But there’s a LOT of room for news out there. And Nashville should be getting the coverage.
Eternal Lizdom says
My BFF is from Nashville- now a New Yorker. he has been keeping his Facebook page very up to date with needs and stories. You can friend him for ideas- Jimbo Mc.
I spent many a summer and winter holiday throughout college down in Nashville… this is all so heartbreaking. It hurt me to see the pics of Opryland and the hotel…
Lesley says
It’s interesting to hear this as an outsider’s perspective (although you’ll ALWAYS be an insider). We’re getting tons of coverage on the local news so I haven’t had to pay much attention to the national news. It is truly surreal. We’ll pull through though. They don’t call us the Volunteer State for nothing….
shortjs@tds.net says
Very eloquently written…and so very much appreciated. Some have said that the reason this story is not playing out nationally is because we’ve done what we always do…we’ve put on the “big girl panties” and gone to work. No one is asking “where is the government” we’re just going about our business and neighbor is helping neighbor. The kids who aren’t in school are out working in the neighborhoods in the cleanup effort….it’s really pretty amazing to see how we “southerners” can get it done! Thanks for your post.
Country-Fried Mama says
I did see footage of Opryland on the TV news, but not much else. So sad. I can’t imagine how difficult things must be there right now.
Victoria Winters says
Thanks for posting about us in Nashvegas! Thankfully I got no damage to our home, but it still effected us all. We’re STILL on a mandatory water conservation since one of our water treatment plants was underwater. UGH!
Angie Six says
Glad to hear your home escaped damage. I imagine the water conservation thing is starting to wear thin. In the beginning it seemed like everyone was gung-ho to do their part, but I would think after a week and a half, choosing between a shower or clean underwear gets annoying. Im hoping to come down this summer and find some volunteer projects to help out with, after the major influx of help has left town. That is, if it ever came?
Angie