Nashville area DISers please check in!

[lemondog]

I am in Bellevue, we are fine houses 1/2 mile from us are completely submerged. Many friends have lost everything except the clothes on their backs. I am stuck with no tv, landline, Internet or any access to the outside world other than when my cell phone decides to work. Thank God for the eTicket app. Please fill me in!!! I know we are on water restriction but what's going on downtown??? I think I am still in shock this has not hit me yet. I have only cried once so far when I heard my friend had water to her roofline.

 

[mandy200587]

Smyrna checking in, we're okay here the worst part of the town is further up. Several areas downtown have taken on water from Symphony Center, Bridgestone, CMHOF. The river crested finally at 51.9 it will be Thursday before it starts really receding.

 

[eowensby]

Downtown looks rough...water all in the Pinnacle, Symphony Hall, Bridgestone Arena, etc.... They have pushed people back all day from the Riverfront area since the water was still rising. Opryland hotel, Opry Mills, Grand Old Opry House, etc... and Pennington Bend area are totally submerged.
We are in La Vergne, but our church is on Antioch Pike near Blue Hole Rd. The devastation there is unreal. I am just simply amazed at all of middle Tennessee right now. More bodies have been found this afternoon/evening once the waters have gone down a little. So sad.

 

[asta]

I am close by in northern Williamson county. They are now calling this a once in 500-1000 year event. No flood damage on my street but several trees went down on Sunday morning. The amount of rain that fell was absolutely amazing. We had sheets of rain that you could hardly see through at times. It was/is so upsetting to see so many familiar landmarks underwater. First in our immediate neighborhoods and now to see those downtown landmarks taking on water. And parts of the Opryland Hotel are under 12 feet of water. Still, none of that can compare to all of those folks who have lost their homes. It looks like the Harpeth River really inflicted the worst damage on Bellevue homes. The pictures are so, so sad.

Everything that I am hearing says that our biggest danger is the water supply. One of metro Nashville's two water plants is out and they are fighting to save the other one tonight. The news said that they have a lot of people filling sandbags to keep the river out of it. In Bellevue, you probably have Harpeth Valley water and they said earlier that they are still operating but with some damage. They are asking us to only use water for cooking and drinking.

 

[kydisneyfans]

My wife works remote out of a firm in Franklin, TN and everything is OK there. She was tentatively scheduled to be in the area this week for training, but decided not to visit until after school was out.

The pictures coming out of Nashville make me sick to my stomach.

If anyone from the area would post what type of help is needed, it would be appreciated. We have our own similar problems in KY but not the level of Nashville.

 

[lemondog]

Thanks for the info. We are on Harpeth Valley water and as of last night half my neighborhood has NO water at all. We still do thank goodness. Keep the updates coming!!!

 

[eowensby]

Right now they are referring everyone to hands on nashville for volunteer help, www.hon.org .

There is so much cleanup that needs to be done quickly to try and keep the mold to a minimum. The majority of Nashville and surrounding areas did not have flood insurance. So many people have lost everything. Right now there are lots of clothing drives, food drives, etc... being organized to help with immediate needs.

 

[MeMom]

I was driving in the 'can't see in front of you' rain Sunday coming back home from Huntsville. After six detours on the interstate, around fallen trees and power lines, and braving a few puddles in the middle of roads, I made it to my street. There were policemen there turning people around. I drove close to one and told him it was my street and asked if I could please go on in. He asked me the address, and when I told him, he said go straight in and don't come back out. Not a problem! I was thrilled to pull up into my driveway and had no thoughts of leaving.

Hendersonville was hard hit. Drakes Creek flooded the park and road. I went out to get gas today, and traffic was bumper to bumper. Everyone is having to funnel into whatever roads are open. There was no gas at the first station I went to, but the second one did, thankfully.

Anybody want to speculate on when Metro will try to go back to school? I was told there are some buses sumberged, so it could be a while. Wonder how much of this time we will have to make up?

 

[EMom]

Just heard from a friend in Smyrna who had sent pics on Saturday showing water closing in on their house. So far it has stayed in the yard and not gotten to the house.

Fingers crossed for all!

 

[Poppinsme]

From New Orleans. I know what your going through.
And I have sent a donation to Red Cross. My prayers are with all of you.

 

[mandy200587]

MeMom I heard somewhere they were trying to get those days excused so they didn't have to be made up.


They just declared the parts of TN hit hard a disaster area.

 

[MeMom]

From New Orleans. I know what your going through.
And I have sent a donation to Red Cross. My prayers are with all of you.

That is heartwarming. Many people here helped New Orleans, and now New Orleans helps us. That's the way the world should be every day.

MeMom I heard somewhere they were trying to get those days excused so they didn't have to be made up.


They just declared the parts of TN hit hard a disaster area.

Yeah, I am thinking since it has been declared a federal disaster, we will not have to make up the days. I had already put in for off days Friday and Monday, as we are going to WDW for Mother's Day weekend. My oldest son is living right outside Orlando now, so we get to spend the weekend with him. We may be able to go a little earlier on Thursday, if we're not in school. I don't see how we could be, but Metro is calling it one day at a time at this point.

 

[PigletsMommy]

Smyrna here.

Just saw pics of the Grand Ole Opry on the news...completely flooded. So sad.

My mom works for MTA driving the metro buses. They will resume on Thursday but it will be limited to the major routes. She does not drive those routes so she will be out of work until who knows when. They did announce that they will not be charging bus fares on Thursday. I'm sure this will help out some of those who have lost their vehicles.

One of the radio stations has people calling in to tell their stories. My heart aches for those who lost loved ones. This is so tragic.

I just wondered if anyone else noticed that it seems this "story" was skimmed over on the national news. I was kind of excited this morning to watch the morning shows and see how they were reporting the floods. The Today show segment was maybe a minute. Maybe it is just me but I guess between the bomb in NY and the oil spill in the golf... Nashville was kind of lost.

 

[mandy200587]

We got 4 minutes finally on CNN but it took Keith Urban calling in to get that.

 

[PigletsMommy]

ok... i thought maybe i was just being whiny. I guess there is just a lot to report on this week. I know all the stories are important... I was just disappointed that Nashville only got a minute. I missed the news this evening tho..

 

[eowensby]

No, I don't think you are being whiny. I was surprised that this was the only thread here on the DIS that I could find about it. I do love how we are all coming together and helping each other. It makes me so proud to be a Tennessean.

We went and worked at our church tonight unloading a truck from Disaster Relief. I was amazed that there were many there from all over Nashville that just heard we were unloading and decided to show up. It didn't matter what denomination, if any, they were; they just wanted to help. We have had a motor home from a Louisiana Church Group show up to provide food to flood victims and volunteers starting tomorrow. We will begin handing out supplies and food to our community around lunch time. I know it will be so humbling to see and hear these stories.

If you are looking to donate clothes and are in the Nashville Area, Thomas Edison Elementary on 6130 Mt. View Road will be having a clothing giveaway on Saturday, May 8th. They will accept donations on Friday, May 7th at the building. They are looking for any spring/summer clothes for all sizes.

 

[lemondog]

I am back to the land of the living! AT&T finally restored landlines, internet and TV to Bellevue. It has been my first chance to see any news or view pics on the internet. My heart is completely broken for my beloved city.

I agree we have been completely ignored by the national media. Oh well we don't need them anyway. We have enough big names thankyouverymuch. I did see that a bunch of local celebs are doing a telethon on Thursday night on Ch. 4...Vince Gill and friends I think it's called. Although I will give props to Keith Olbermann at NBC News for doing this: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/36927001#36927001

My church was hit VERY hard...many, many of our families have lost most or all of their homes. I have survivor's guilt that my house was spared with the exception of some minor flooding in the basement. One of my dear friends had water up to her roof. I don't think that has even hit me yet!! I will be spending all my free time for the forseeable future providing manpower out here in Bellevue. I feel like I need to be doing something! I also took a load of clothing to the JCC this morning, while they were still accepting non-monetary donations.

I am so blessed to be part of such an amazing community and it gives me comfort to know that if I should ever be in need there will be plenty who will come to my aid.

 

[mandy200587]

Channel 2 Wed-Friday from 6:30-7 will be doing a telethon as well. The radio did one today. I'm darn proud to be a volunteer, people stopping to help strangers, celebrities helping others, and everyone just pitching in where they can.

 

[PigletsMommy]

I wish I could do more. When I heard the stories on the radio I just sat there thinking we should be out doing something.

I babysit during the day and 2 out of 3 sets of parents work as police or nurses for our local hospitals. They need to be at work...so I'm here for their children. I'm kind of torn... I'm not doing anything extra, ya know?

I'm going to go thru our closets and try to clear them out. I'm sure I have lots of xtra baby girl clothes too. We don't have xtra money to go around right now but I would like to help out.

On a side note...did anyone see that jerk last night on channel 2 washing his car. I walked in on the tail end of the news and saw him. When the news crew confronted him he just shook his head and said I'm sorry. They told him that people were going without showers so that Nashville could have drinking water and here he is washing his car... then he said something like, well I'm sorry but I'm not going without a shower for 3 days either Its a good think the 2nd water plant didnt get flooded.

 

[asta]

Trying to save water here. I've switched to paper plates and plastic cups forks so that I don't have to wash as many dishes. We drink bottled water anyway. I guess I'm saving our water use for hygiene uses. These may be small things but everything helps. Life without water isn't easy so I hope that the water treatment plants get to full production soon.

It is very curious that the national media thinks that cleaning beaches is more important than the people here who have lost everything and in some cases even their life.