In Johnny Cash’s song “Five Feet High and Rising,” the man in black tells the story of a family forced to leave its home due to rising flood waters, all the while hoping for “good things [to] come from adversity.” Nashville, Tenn., the musical mecca for country artists like Cash, is echoing these sentiments, having just seen its livelihood washed away by the Cumberland River and hoping relief is making its way downstream soon.
Middle Tennessee, as well as parts of Kentucky and Mississippi, was struck this weekend by what many are calling a “100 year flood,” an unexpected disaster that had devastating consequences and caused endless property damage. The city of Nashville, in particular, was hit hard, experiencing a record 13 inches of rainfall in just two days. Thirty-one people in metro Nashville died as a result of the flood, nearly 50,000 were without power and the city’s water reserve dropped from 60 percent to a dangerously low 37 percent over the course of just a weekend.
A vast majority of those whose homes were damaged by the flood do not have flood insurance, and President Obama declared the region a federal disaster area eligible for aid from FEMA. “A lot of people who didn’t have flood insurance, because they never thought floodwaters would ever come anywhere near their home, are really looking at a total loss of their home,” Tennessee Governor Phil Bredesen said. “It’s very tough on a lot of people right now.”
While lost lives and damage to homes and property were of primary concern, the city also suffered major blows to its economy, as many of its largest businesses and tourist attractions quickly found themselves underwater. “The magnitude of the damages to those businesses, I don’t know,” Nashville Mayor Karl Dean said yesterday in a press conference at Belmont University. “I think it’s safe to say the damage that we’re looking at will easily exceed $1 billion.”
The Grand Ole Opry, hallowed ground for country musicians new and old, took in several feet of water, though it is still unclear what has been lost. Though it’s home to countless memorabilia items, those who love the Opry are trying to remain optimistic.”We look forward to coming together both as the Opry family and as a great American city just as we have every week for nearly 85 years,” Grand Ole Opry President Pete Fisher said in a statement.
The neighboring Opryland Hotel also suffered severe flooding, displacing 1,500 hotel guests. Another major blow to the music industry was the flooding of Soundcheck Nashville, a downtown storage facility near the Cumberland River that housed the gear of over 1,000 artists and businesses. Artists who lost most, if not all, of their gear at Soundcheck include Keith Urban, Vince Gill, Brad Paisley and LeAnn Rimes. The Country Music Hall of Fame and Schermerhorn Symphony Center also flooded, along with several music venues downtown.
The city of Nashville has lived up to its reputation of being capital of the Volunteer State, however, with citizens coming out of the woodwork to fill sandbags, raise funds and supplies and even make daring water rescues. Nashville service organization Hands On Nashville has been integral in organizing volunteer efforts, reporting via Twitter that “the volunteer spirit in this city is amazing.” The site has had to restructure its server several times this week due to “staggering” volunteer registrations. Several music venues have already held flood relief benefit shows, with Mercy Lounge raising $11,000 and the Tin Roof Franklin raising $10,000. A telethon benefiting flood victims will air tonight on Nashville’s NBC affiliate WSMV and will feature Vince Gill, Keith Urban, Alison Krauss and many others. The telethon will stream live online at WSMV.com.
In addition to taking to the streets, frustrated Nashvillians took to the Internet to address the lack of coverage the national news media was giving their flood-ravaged city. Twitter was inundated with tweets about the flood, making “Nashville” and “#nashvilleflood” trending topics earlier in the week. Many contained the first photos and accounts of the devastation, while others simply asked the rest of the world for help. Nashville blog Nashvillest saw the gap left by national media and began offering around the clock coverage and information, while hockey blogger Patten Fuqua wrote the moving call to arms piece “We Are Nashville,” which has already inspired a viral campaign of its own.
In response to the online pleas of Nashville citizens, CNN’s Anderson Cooper tweeted, “From ac: been getting a lot of emails saying “where is the media” in TN covering the flooding. They are right. We haven’t done enough on it.” Cooper has since been covering the story, interviewing Kenny Chesney about his flooded home and planning to report live from Nashville tonight.
The positive impact made by Nashville citizens is proof that grassroots efforts do work, but it’s going to take national action to get the city down the long road of recovery. Though the Cumberland River is finally receding and FEMA aid is in the works, Nashville needs your help now. Nashville has given the world some of its greatest songs, playing an integral role in the fabric of our musical culture. Please help Nashville keep the music playing.
How you can help:
- Text REDCROSS to 90999 to donate $10 to disaster relief.
- Donate to Hands On Nashville.
- Volunteer through Hands On Nashville. New opportunities are posted on their website daily.
- Donate to the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee.
- Donate to the Nashville Humane Association — pets have been displaced, too!
- Spread the word — post stories, pictures and videos to Twitter and Facebook encouraging others to donate.
- Visit Nashvillest for frequently updated information regarding current needs (as well as general information).
Photo by Getty Images, photo by Kelsey Wynns.