The flooding in Nashville remains a major disaster and much worse than most Americans--preoccupied by the Gulf oil spill and the terrorist attempt in Times Square--realize. The federal government has been slow to mobilize and, reports Discovery senior fellow Yuri Mamchur. But local people are exceedingly energetic.
The flooding of the Cumberland River continues, thanks to upriver creeks that are feeding it, and significant lowering of the water levels is yet days away. Greatly damaged are many landmarks such as the Grand Old Opry and the Opryland Hotel, the Schermerhorn Symphony Center (built for $126 million in 2006), the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, LP Field (home of the NFL's Tennessee Titans and the Tennessee State teams), St. George's Episcopal Church and many office buildings, stores and restaurants.
Whole buildings floated down the river and across freeways at the height of the 48 hour storm that began early last Saturday. Golf Club clubhouses were among them, as was at least one school whose dramatic destruction was chronicled on TV.
Some 29 people have died, some in drownings when their cars were swamped. Others died in a tornado that accompanied the rain. Nashville's stellar hospitals--many with helipads for emergency airlifts--have been relatively unscathed. But food ran out at a number of fast food restaurants and some supermarkets. Many people store food in freezers in basements and even houses on hills were partially flooded, in many cases. One MacDonalds owner shut off his lights and announced to shouting, horn honking people outside, "I'm out of food. There's nothing left!"
Most major freeways were flooded, but, except for I-24, most are now reopened. The I-24 has serious damage as road surfaces crumbled.
No one has calculated the costs yet. This is the beginning of one of the busiest tourist seasons for Nashville, and, while Grand Old Opry and other programs will find temporary replacement venues, the outlook short term is not good. But Tennesseans are pretty resilient people. As Yuri says, they are very energetic right now.
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