Friday, May 7, 2010

Middle TN Flood Relief

Please donate to help flood victims in Middle TN: American Red Cross

We are cleaning up. But torrential rains sent rivers 50 feet above flood stage. The water is receding thanks to several days of hot weather. Volunteers are rushing to devastated areas but more will be needed in the weeks and months ahead as those displaced attempt to rebuild their lives. One woman picked up a toothbrush from a aid center this morning and said that she had not been able to brush her teeth in THREE DAYS! Our brothers and sisters in this world are having to start over from scratch. Please donate, if you are at all able. Pray for those who have lost and for those who are helping. Thank you. God Bless.

Wednesday, May 5, 2010

Flooded Nashville- We are still here



Text "REDCROSS" to 90999 to donate $10 to the relief effort:

See: Nashville Flooded & Forgotten

We are Nashville

Video shot by Fr. T

The images of my hometown are heart breaking. People here have lost everything. Homes that were in areas that have never flooded, homeowners never given the opportunity to buy flood insurance. It isnt offered in areas that do not flood. And now they have to start over.

Additional Relief Efforts through Salvation Army





Riverfront Park Before & After

Tuesday, May 4, 2010

Flood of 2010- Middle TN Disaster

This may be the most insane thing I've ever witnessed. Saturday morning it started to rain and it just did not stop. Right now here in Middle Tennessee there are houses sitting 6-7 feet under water. Our average annual rainfall is around 48 inches. Over the course of 48 hours it rained 19 inches. That's about 38% of our yearly rain. Tiny little creeks that children stomp around in turned into swells of rushing water in minutes. We had a funnel cloud come over our town and gone into hiding in our hall bathroom. CJ in the middle of his afternoon nap was pulled from his peaceful slumber to come sit with the rest of us. He seemed strangely calm, as if this sort of thing happens regularly. WC, on the other hand, in the middle of meltdown mode when the electricity blinked on and off rapidly setting off our security system. Jay rushed out into the house to see if he could stop the siren but couldn't. So there we sat. Thankfully, the electricity went off. When it returned the system made a constant flat line sound, which was almost as annoying. Luckily it all past over and nothing touched down. When we emerged from the bathroom Jay set about trying to shut the alarm system up. The only thing he succeeded in doing was arming it and setting it back off again. WC locked himself in the bathroom. CJ acted as if nothing was happening. I had enough. I took a screw driver into the office, where the main power source for the system is and I pulled the whole thing out of the wall. Quiet had been restored. I'll worry about the rest of it later. It was then, our tv service was back on that we began to see what was going on around us. The interstate that I travel on a daily basis & have travelled for years- a portion of it was under water. Cars were bobbing up and down in the waves. We watched on live tv, a portable classroom from a school- not that close by- came floating down the interstate hit several cars and disintegrated before our very eyes. It had been picked up off it's foundation, floated across the at least the football field, soccer field and I can't recall what else to get there where we watched its demise. If you want to see some videos search Nashville flood on You Tube and take your pick of which devastation to see.
Here is a pile of cars in Antioch, TN. In a very hard hit area.



The Delta at the famous Opryland Hotel is under water. There is fountain in there, somewhere...




The Dairy King, been there as long as I can remember. Mill Creek isn't supposed to be there.

We were extremely fortunate; did not experience any water in our home. Other people around me weren't so lucky. Please lift them up your prayers. Please make contributions to the American Red Cross for the victims of the Nashville Flood. From what I have heard, we have not had much attention in the national media. But this is a huge disaster here in Middle Tennessee. The need is immediate.

My images here on this blog are just a few of what is out there. If interested please search for them. I will try to post some more when available. Thank you.