We have been receiving calls and emails from friends who have heard about what's happening here in Nashville, asking if we are ok. Yes, we are fine. But it is mass devastation around Nashville and Bellevue. I don't know if you can even begin to imagine just how affected this city and surrounding counties were by this incredible rain. Nashville received 25% of its yearly total in just two days! That is is the reason the flooding has been so bad. Rivers reached their peak and spilled far over their banks with rushing rivers destroying anything and everything in their path. People from outside Tennessee have questioned why they didn't get out sooner, why they didn't prepare for this. If you weren't here, you cannot possibly understand how fast this happened. This has been deemed the 500 year flood. Statistics prove that this is something that would only happen every 500 years. There was no way to know or prepare for what happened. The forecast did predict rain and of more concern was the tornadic activity. However, everyone was surprised at what did happen. Tornados were the least of concern as rain begin to pound the midstate area.
We left for church on Sunday morning, driving through heavily flooded streets and storm drains overflowing. We had no idea that during our service and after service, we would be met with such devastation. You have to realize, Mike and Cindy drove from their home to church that Sunday morning and by the time they went to go home, the entire area going to their home was under water...a mass lake that covered homes, roads, and even the entire interstate, with the water roaring into nearby counties. They live in one area that was hard hit, however they were spared. Their home sits on a higher plane so they received no damage. Thank you God.
This is Mike Toews and Mike Anderson trying to cross the flooded area toget to Mike T's house for supplies. Not sure this was a good idea!
They never made it and ended up having to turn back....or something like that.
I think they're holding back on the real story! LOL
One of the cul de sac's near Mike and Cindy's home that was affected.This was minor compared to some of the other homes flooded in that area.
This was Interstate 40 completely under water (right near Mike and Cindy's home)
The river overtaking roads in Bellevue
For those of you who have visited us here in Nashville, we have walked these downtown streets.
No one could have predicted how fast these waters would overtake. Driving through areas of our town, you see nothing but piles of rubbish and trash, furniture, sheetrock, insulation, and the remains of what once was someone's life and home. The smell in these areas is undescribable. A mixture of chemicals, mold, and mucky water.
We, as a church, want to do our part to help in the clean up and recovery efforts. We have partnered with Convoy of Hope who has organized efforts in this area. We have already been volunteering in the area of River Plantation here in Bellevue which was another one of the hardest hit areas. Streets, cul de sacs and rows upon rows of homes, totally destroyed. The attitudes of the victims have been amazing. While they are sad that they have lost so many personal sentimental things of value, they are still smiling and just say, "It could have been worse....we are still here!" That is just amazing when you see what they are actually standing in the midst of.
Many we've heard from say they had no idea how bad the flooding was. I'm not sure just how much of it was covered on national news but I can tell you, its much different here on the ground, seeing it firsthand and getting into the individual and personal stories. There are still many people without power and in need of water. Some of the water in the outlying areas has been determined unsafe so boiling has been necessary. Cellular service has been very limited in many areas. Though we are seeing much of this restored slowly, it is still out there.
Here's a little bit of what's been going on here....
So you can see just how widespread the areas are. We are out in the community helping so I'll be sharing some more pictures later.
There are those out there saying, "Just get over it...it's done already" or "Enough already....we're tired of hearing about it", but that's just it....we don't have that luxury of just forgetting about it. It's something our communities are dealing with every day. You can't just forget when you are out in the midst of these people who are watching total strangers going through bits and pieces of their life, throwing it in piles by the street as the huge dump trucks pick up every single thing they owned. It's all too easy to be far removed from a very bad situation and not feel the pain others are going through.
We know though we have wonderful friends and family who do care and who are feeling the pain of our community. We just ask that you continue to pray for our state and the lives that were affected. Thank you for reaching out to check on us! We're so glad friendship knows no distance!
