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Nashville Tennessee under water ~ Unbelievable

By Jim Odom

I live about three and a half hours East of Nashville. It's amazing what a difference such a short geographic distance makes. Here in our area, there was no flooding and not even a lot of rain during the same time that Nashville was flooded so badly. The devastation was amazing.

I was almost sick at my stomach when I heard how badly the Opryland Hotel was flooded. It is one of the most beautiful hotels in America. It has over four acres of glass domed area. Beautiful man-made streams flow through the lobby. I have stayed there many times. It was a favorite destination of mine at Christmas because of the beautiful decorating they do.

Nashville had over 25,000 people without electricity, and the Utility service in Nashville lost 1/3 of their fleet of repair trucks due to flooding at its own facility. Nashville is centrally located in the southeastern United States. It has three interstate highway systems running through it. Because of this, it is a popular hub for trucking companies. Six trucking companies with their terminals near the river were shut down, and hundreds of trucks were ruined.

LP Field is home to the Nashville Titans professional football team. The Titans’ stadium had water up above the first section level. That level doesn’t even start at the ground. To see water that high is truly amazing.

In my lifetime I have been in both the construction and Real Estate business. When assessing where and how close to a body of water it is safe to build, the Government uses "Flood Maps". In most areas of the country including Nashville, local Governments will not allow buildings in an area designated as a "hundred year flood plain". A one hundred year flood plain is defined as a location where there is a one in one hundred chance of getting flood water in a home.

This flood has been assessed by government agencies as being a one thousand year flood!!! Until this flooding happened, I had never even heard anyone mention a one thousand year flood. Local planners do not even take into consideration such an event EVER happening. Almost every year we hear of floods in the plains of Oklahoma and other "flat States". They have come to expect flooding along some of those rivers almost every year.

But come on...This is Tennessee

Contributor's Note

They say a picture is worth a thousand words, so I kept the intel short so you can see the images for yourselves. I didn't take any of these pictures, they are a compilation of images sent to me by friends.

Wow... Incredible photos... I've stayed at the Opryland Hotel once and visited a second time. It's incredible to look at that picture.

But you're right about Tennessee. Two people associated with my animation project live in that area. They are both okay, living on relatively high ground. One of them (my friend Chuck) told me that the people around there are terrific. They all help each other as a matter of course. The sense of community in that area, I am told, is nothing short of awesome -- from the famous musicians that live there down to your average joe -- they are all helping each other. That is something to be proud of.

We used to own two art galleries there. I was over twice a week. It's a great town

Although we have seen pictures, and heard reports of this disaster, the flooding is still mind boggling. Thank you for sharing your intel. A friend in the area communicated with me for the weekend and then on Monday evening. They were on higher ground, and were safe, but she said the flooding around them was terrible. They were cut off from everything, all roads around then were closed and people were killed. She went back to work, Tuesday morning in a building where there was no water and no toilet facilities.

It's still slowly recovering but they are not nearly back to normal

Thank you for your information and the representation of this. It gives a real idea of what actually happened.

The amazing thing is that some areas were devastated and others spared. The flooding was very localized.

Thank you for sharing these disconcerting photos. All I remember of the one time I drove through Tennessee was that it was snowing over the bare branches of trees when I left the Chicago area en route to Tampa Bay, and when we got to Tennessee it was spring already with leaves and buds opening up and lovely weather.

Spring is breathtakingly beautiful here in Tennessee. Wild trees like dogwoods and red-buds; and flowering shrubs are everywhere in the Spring

Thanks, Jim. I, too, have stayed at the Opryland Hotel several times (not as many as you) and I'm shocked by the devastation. Here in Phoenix, we build golf courses, homes and shopping malls on what are called "washes" (arroyos in New Mexico). They are supposedly designed to handle the run off from the rare heavy rains we have here. Of course, the belief here is that we'll never have a run heavy enough to wash out the buildings we've built on the washes. Then, every so often (not as long as 1,000 years), there are torrential runs that wash out the washes. Such is the hubris of man.

They were practicing safe building procedures and still were flooded. I am not quite as sympathetic for folks who take huge risks. This disaster was way beyond anything that could have been planned for.

It's unbelievable isn't it and amazing how there was little rain in Eastern Tennessee. I have a timeshare not far from the Opreyland Hotel, and if I recall correctly it's up a hill, so hopefully it didn't get flooded too.

I have stayed at a timeshare that is probably the same one you are speaking of. I doubt that it was affected.

It used to be the Fairfield but I think it's the Wyndham now. Not far from Opreyland Mall, but I think it's up a hill so hopefully well out of reach of the flood waters.

Poddys May 9, 2010 14:18

Thank you for sharing this devastating story and images, Jim.
I am a country music fan and have always wanted to go to Nashville. Hopefully ,we will get there someday.
Hopefully, You will be able to do a couple of follow up stories as time goes on.
Best wishes.
Frederick

I didn't post any pictures of the Grand Ole Opry, but the water was up over the stage level.

So sad to see. I lived in Nashville for about 7 years and I absolutely love it. That 1st picture of the Opryland Hotel was really disturbing. I've been there so many times to see the pretty Arboretum :(

I believe the statistics are that there are over 4 acres of glass overhead. That makes for a huge greenhouse!!

YIKES!

I guess you don't have to live in a place like the Philippines anymore to experience a major flood. The end of the world is nigh.

Luckily, I have not seen any arks being built. I think I remember something about God promising not to do that again. Next time fire and brimstone maybe

Someone else I heard mention Global warming as a likely cause of some of the odd weather we have had. I find it a bit of a stretch that a warming of two tenths of one degree average temperature change could cause a flash flood in Tennessee.

Al Gore lives less than an hour away....hmmm

They are hardly covering this story at all on the news, I have heard next to nothing about it and I am wondering why. Thanks for posting this and the photos so others can see how bad it really is. That hotel sounds beautiful, I had never heard of it before. thanks.

Interesting you should mention that. I have heard from Nashville locals that there has been less than 15 minutes of National news coverage. The theory that I would advance as to why:
1. There was no looting
2. Neighbors helped neighbors with clean up
3. Nashville illustrated that unlike New Orleans, local and state government should take the lead
4. No one could blame George Bush

Questions I have are:
1. Where was FEMA
2. Where was Obama
3. Why was there no outcry from Media outlets that not enough was being done by FEMA and the president
4. Why have there not been telethons to raise money for survivors

5. I don't like the way everything, including natural disasters, get politicized. But since past disasters HAVE caused political debate about the Federal Government's response, why didn't this one?

It may just be me, but I believe the Obama Administration didn't see any way to make inroads into the staunchly conservative area, and thus didn't try for photo-ops.

Sandyspider May 15, 2010 01:37

Flooding can be so destructive. Been pouring down here in New Zealand all week and becoming a pain. No real problems yet, but will be if it keeps raining.

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