the flood, part two

(for part one, scroll down to previous entries)

As I continue to think about all of the things I have seen over the past week, that word overwhelming keeps popping up. The overwhelming waters. The overwhelming destruction. The overwhelming loss and grief.

But overwhelming can be positive as well, and I have seen that connotation of the word in action, too. The overwhelming spirit of these ravaged communities. The overwhelming volunteer response. The overwhelming outpouring of donations and support.

Lots of people complained that the national news was ignoring us. The lack of coverage was a hot topic for many Facebook/Twitter status updates and blog posts. And yes, it was a little frustrating that something so huge, so tragic (so, well, overwhelming) for Nashville was barely a blip on the national news radar. But at the same time, it didn't really matter that they didn't care. We were taking care of ourselves. People were pumping water out of their houses and then turning around and helping pump water out of their neighbor's homes. Within a couple of days, Hands on Nashville had more than 15,000 people sign up to help with flood relief. 15,000 local people signing up with a local organization to help our neighbors that were affected. With that much local love, it really didn't seem as important whether or not someone in California knew about the situation. Because we all knew. And we were taking care of it.

One of Todd's out-of-state friends commented that people in Nashville were being "drama queens" about the situation. From his perspective, we were all just whining about a bunch of rain. So, I guess that was one negative effect of the lack of coverage--many people outside of Nashville didn't think the situation was that bad...because if it wasn't on the national news, it couldn't have been that big or that serious, right?

But...it was. And it is. And it will continue to be for awhile. Rebuilding will take time. Because of the amazing efforts of our incredible community, lots of work has already been done...but our city still faces a long road to recovery.

Right now, we are in a waiting period. Waiting for all of the scrap piles to be picked up from the road sides. Waiting for the houses to dry out before rebuilding can begin. Waiting for inspectors to determine what is salvageable. Waiting for aid to come in before supplies can be purchased. Waiting for our water treatment plants to be fully functioning again. Some people are still waiting to see if their loved ones lost in the flood waters will ever be found.

It will take some time before things return to a sense of "normal". For a long time, these flooded families will cringe when they see rain in the forecast. For a long time, we will all eye the Cumberland River suspiciously, wondering if it could turn on our city again. For a long time, we will remember the images we have seen, and the neighbors we have hugged, and the tears we have shared with those who lost so much.

And for a long, long time, we will know how fortunate we are to be a part of such a strong, supportive, loving, giving community.

May 1st, 2010. A flood of water...that turned into a flood of support...that gave rise to a flood of hope.

If you would like to help, visit the following links:

The Nashville Red Cross

Hands on Nashville

The Community Foundation

Donate Nashville