pyjamapants (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
pyjamapants) wrote2010-05-06 04:59 am
pyjamapants) wrote2010-05-06 04:59 am
Good Things: Flood Edition
For those of you who haven't seen the coverage, my hometown, Nashville, TN (as well as the entire western half of the state and southern Kentucky) experienced massive flooding over the weekend while we were visiting. Unprecedented amounts of rain fell. The previous record for two-day rainfall record stood at 6 inches. A total of 13.5 inches fell in 36 hours. Pictures of the aftermath can be seen, well, all over, but this is a representative slide show. Downtown, south Nashville, East Nashville, and West Nashville received significant damage. Many counties (35, if I remember correctly) in the state have been declared federal disaster areas. Creeks became rivers. Ditches become rivers. Interstates became rivers.
It's taken three days to get to the point where I could write about this at any length. I probably NEED to write more. I'm still shell-shocked from watching it all unfold. And I was in a relatively safe location for the duration. The public radio station was off the air when we left town. News channels were reporting in makeshift studio's in their building's loading docks. So many cultural and tourist icons were damaged.
That said, there are good things.
1. My parents, brother, mother-in-law, sisters-in-law, aunts, uncles, cousins, and second cousins who live in Nashville are all safe and sound.
2. The floodwaters downtown are finally receding. One day, the city will resemble the photo on the top, rather than the photo underneath
Click here for link to large version of bottom photo. In case the green-roofed building throws you off... it floats, which is why it's a street-level. Waters have receded to the second step shown in the top photo.
3. Mr. PJ and I are home safe and sound up North. We only have to read about rebuilding, mold, FEMA, advice for handling contaminated materials, and clean water shortages. We do not have to live through it. It still ached to leave the city behind.
4. FINALLY, the flooding is getting GOOD coverage on the news. I've seen tweets from major newspeople apologizing for the lack of attention. CNN is sending Anderson Cooper tomorrow.
5. My best friend's sister's home, which I buzzed about and which she thought would be underwater when they had to release water from dams upstream, is still standing. It's still surrounded by water, but it looks like they'll only have to replace flooring on the first floor rather than gutting the entire home, replacing drywall, furniture, etc.
6. The worst that my family had to endure was knowing we were trapped by floodwaters on all roadways within a half mile. As stressful as that was, reading all of the stories of what happened to families that were REALLY affected is gut-wrenching.
7. After six years apart and a flooded weekend, I got to hug my best friend on Monday, thus fulfilling the purpose of the trip.
8. Watching the city come together to begin repair and rebuilding has been truly inspirational.
*big sigh*
Writing all that was... cathartic. Now back to exchange fic.
P.S. I have heard enough Noah's Ark jokes to last seven dozen lifetimes. Really.
It's taken three days to get to the point where I could write about this at any length. I probably NEED to write more. I'm still shell-shocked from watching it all unfold. And I was in a relatively safe location for the duration. The public radio station was off the air when we left town. News channels were reporting in makeshift studio's in their building's loading docks. So many cultural and tourist icons were damaged.
That said, there are good things.
1. My parents, brother, mother-in-law, sisters-in-law, aunts, uncles, cousins, and second cousins who live in Nashville are all safe and sound.
2. The floodwaters downtown are finally receding. One day, the city will resemble the photo on the top, rather than the photo underneath
Click here for link to large version of bottom photo. In case the green-roofed building throws you off... it floats, which is why it's a street-level. Waters have receded to the second step shown in the top photo.
3. Mr. PJ and I are home safe and sound up North. We only have to read about rebuilding, mold, FEMA, advice for handling contaminated materials, and clean water shortages. We do not have to live through it. It still ached to leave the city behind.
4. FINALLY, the flooding is getting GOOD coverage on the news. I've seen tweets from major newspeople apologizing for the lack of attention. CNN is sending Anderson Cooper tomorrow.
5. My best friend's sister's home, which I buzzed about and which she thought would be underwater when they had to release water from dams upstream, is still standing. It's still surrounded by water, but it looks like they'll only have to replace flooring on the first floor rather than gutting the entire home, replacing drywall, furniture, etc.
6. The worst that my family had to endure was knowing we were trapped by floodwaters on all roadways within a half mile. As stressful as that was, reading all of the stories of what happened to families that were REALLY affected is gut-wrenching.
7. After six years apart and a flooded weekend, I got to hug my best friend on Monday, thus fulfilling the purpose of the trip.
8. Watching the city come together to begin repair and rebuilding has been truly inspirational.
*big sigh*
Writing all that was... cathartic. Now back to exchange fic.
P.S. I have heard enough Noah's Ark jokes to last seven dozen lifetimes. Really.
no subject
When our children were two weeks old, a flood cut us off from all hospitals.
http://www.spvd.cz/?p=cz/plzen/vyvoj/povoden2002.html&m=cz/plzen/vyvoj/menu_vyvoj.html
Not as bad as Nashville, we were upstream from Prague and Dresden, which were cities most affected that year, but with the hormonal hysterics, it was intense. I had this huge hole in my stomach (caesarean), two babies to care for with no experience, no help and a husband who was off saving other people.
*shudders*
Nature is scary.
no subject
There was one woman who gave birth during the flood. Her neighborhood was surrounding. A nurse had to come over in a boat. Fortunately all are safe and sound.
no subject
We were fine at that time. The only glitch being that their father spend his first whole day with his children when they were one month old.