nashville flood

sunday morning we got a call telling us that my aunt and uncle, who live in nashville, tn, were having to evacuate their home due to flooding. they have lived in the same town home since i have been alive. its a cute little place outside nashville, actually in a town called bellevue. there are several rivers that run through the town of nashville, the biggest being the Cumberland. but there is also a river called the Harpeth River that runs behind the development that my aunt and uncle live in. on a normal day, it sits 60 feet below their home.

so, sunday morning the fire department and police station set out to warn residents in the area that they should prepare to evacuate. this was just a warning, but they took the proper precautions and gathered some things, and moved valuables, pictures and the like to the second floor. well, things got bad, and it got bad really fast. all in all, i believe the greater nashville area got around 15-20 inches of rain in 2 days. more than the little harpeth river could handle.

word got out soon that they were evacuating people in their development in boats, and that the water was waist high. so, stranded at a starbucks, they tried to find a place to stay. luckily, they have a great church and work family, who extended open arms to them. it has to be a scary feeling not knowing whats happening at your own house, but knowing it can't be good. everyone was expecting the worst, after watching the weather channel and news stations all day. seeing footage of the damage, and how the bigger cumberland river was nearing its breaking point. it runs through downtown and the tourist area. opryland hotel, country music hall of fame, LP Field, opryland hotel, and much more.

today we got news of the outcome. they were able to get back in their house to see the damage, and it wasn't pretty. the water level had gotten up to my aunts shoulders, so a little over 5 feet or so. a gross, slimy, muddy sludge all over everything. the fridge tipped over and floated thru the kitchen. all the furniture was strewn about. the water had gotten up to the 7th step of the stairwell. thats probably about halfway up. they're so lucky it didn't get to the second floor. now, here's the even worse news. they had their house up for sale. they had literally just finished a big renovation to update and clean it up for the sale. they will have to completely start over. that is, if they are able to. since they were in a flood plain, they are still unsure if they will be able to rebuild. they are also unsure of the coverage they have for flood insurance. it is going to be a long road to normalcy for them. i can't even imagine. we are happy for their safety though, and in the end that is all that matters.

searching through photos of damage, i found this group of photos that actually shows their development.

its just unbelievable. we're praying for a somewhat hassle free transition into filling claims, talking with insurance adjusters, getting the help they need from insurance companies and FEMA, and rebuilding. keep them in your prayers, if you think about it.