It’s been almost three months since Middle Tennessee got hit with one of the worst floods in the history of the state. The papers and local TV stations called it a “1000-year” flood, and it sure felt like that to the residents of Nashville, Bellevue, Franklin and surrounding cities and towns. As April showers turned to May torrential rains, it seemed as if the seasons were not ready to move on. On May 1-2, 2010, the Middle Tennessee area received over 19 inches of rain in a 48-hour period while the weather quickly turned from a casual storm into one of the worst natural disasters in area's history. Many of the rivers and creeks around Nashville spilled over their banks and seeped into residential homes, local businesses and major tourist attractions. The water rose quickly and exponentially. The mighty Cumberland River, which weaves its way through the heart of downtown Nashville, eventually crested at almost 52 feet, a level that has not been seen since the 1930’s. When the water started to collect and rise, residents started to realize that this was no ordinary storm that would quickly pass, like seemingly ever other storm front. Video was shown on the local TV station of entire homes floating down I-24 in the heart of the city, half submerged due to the feet of water stored up on the freeways. People were fishing from the highway medians, cars were completely submerged all over the city and some residents in Bellevue and Franklin had to be rescued from their homes in boats! By the end of the 2-day storm there were twenty-one deaths recorded in Middle Tennessee, and the city of Nashville, home to Country and Christian music, had over $1.5 billion dollars worth of damage to assess--a number that doesn’t even take into account the damage to public buildings, residential homes, bridges or personal property. Things were a mess! On May 4th, a Federal Disaster was issued and over a third of the counties in Tennessee had been declared major disaster areas. The flood did not only affect residential homes and public buildings, but also many of the cities popular tourist attractions. The Grand Ole Opry House, the Gaylord Opryland Resort, Opry Mills Mall, Bridgestone Arena, Schermerhorn Symphony Center, LP Field (home of the Tennessee Titans) and Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum all received water damage, destroying decades of musical history and racking up heavy financial loses.

The General Jackson Showboat floats in the Cumberland River as the Opry Mills shopping complex stands in floodwaters from the Cumberland River in Nashville, Tennessee, on Monday, May 3, 2010. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)
This truly was no ordinary storm. It was bigger and nastier than that. It was the worst damage that the state of Tennessee had seen since the Civil War. It was starting to resemble the type of natural disaster that a Hurricane produces. ARTIST'S STORIES Many Christian artists, producers, writers and record label folks were affected by the storm. Gabe Martinez, from the rock band, Circleslide, lost his home, his trailer and many sentimental possessions that he will never be able to replace. "We had 20 missed calls from friend and neighbors," Gabe explained, "telling us our house and vehicles were underwater. We then drove through the storm winds that night and arrived home to see the damage. My garage had 3 feet of water in it, and the main level of our house had 4 inches of water everywhere. What used to be my yard was now a lake. Our cars were underwater, as well as our cargo trailer containing all the music gear that Circleslide toured with. About 4 feet of standing water crept inside of that. All my PA gear was destroyed, and as the days went on, we realized our entire home had to be rebuilt from the ground up. Everything on the first floor had to be thrown away--furniture, clothes, memories--all of it.” Andrew Osenga, formerly of Caedmon’s Call, shared his story as well. "We had to gut our basement. We had to toss the carpeting, hardwood floor and rip out the drywall. Our finished room is now studs and drywall. We were lucky though, as we didn't lose anything else. It's the same with about every house in our neighborhood.” Mario Canido from The Red Letters Project said, “We'll need a total rebuild, but we were blessed with insurance because we live on the creek. I know most people had none. We lost everything we didn't get out of our house. There was 3 feet of water in the house for 48 hours, and our garage and work space were full of water completely.” Many Country recording artists were severely affected by the storm too. Julie Roberts, her mother, sister and the family's four dogs were all trapped by rapidly rising flood waters and rescuers had to evacuate them from the second floor of their Nashville home. She said, "It was crazy and horrifying. Rescue boats were coming by for hours. We will need prayers for many months after this," Julie says of Nashville and the surrounding area. "It wass pretty disastrous for myself, my neighbors and everyone in that area of Nashville." Jo Dee Messina’s basement had to have five feet of standing water pumped out of her basement, and Naomi Judd (of the Judds) had her buffalo escape because the flood had knocked down her fence. Kenny Chesney lost his gym, all of his sports memorabilia, including stuff from High School that he cannot replace, and according to his publicist, his entire house will more than likely be condemned. Kenny said, "I lost a lot, but not nearly as much as other people. Some people have lost their lives and livelihood. We need the world's help right now." A COMMUNITY COMES TOGETHER, DESPITE NATIONAL MEDIA ATTENTION There was a lot of national news during the time of the floods, including the breaking story of the attempted Times Square car bombing and the early days of the oil spill disaster in the Gulf of Mexico. It was hard to find any room to talk about a city under water, which unfortunately happens regularly every year, but rarely to a city with this much history and population. So people took to social media networks like Twitter and Facebook to help the word spread about this growing disaster. Twitter feeds were lighting up during the storm as well with tweets carrying new information to concerned fan bases and friends. Brad Paisley, who personally donated $100,000 to the Red Cross, tried to insert a little humor in one of his tweets that read, “two giraffes, two elephants and two rhinos walking down the street toward a HUGE boat. Thinking about following them." Big & Rich’s John Rich posted a more dire tweet about his grandmothe that read, "7 feet deep in Granny Rich's basement! Fire Department is picking her up in a boat."

Residents remove flood debris from their homes Tuesday, May 4, 2010, in Nashville, Tennessee. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
With little national media attention, outside help was slow to start. So during the days after the flood, the community turned to each other for help and support. Neighbors helped neighbors, local business unleashed thousands of workers to the hardest hit areas and artists all over dropped what they were doing to help quickly rebuild their home community. Jason Baird of Austin's Bridge said, "The flooding in Nashville was far worse than anyone expected. Yet instead of looting and complaining about each other, which has happened in other catastrophes, there has been an outpouring of support from the entire community. That is impressive. We live in a great town." New Christian artist Lanae' Hale said, "It has been a very difficult time for our area, but the beauty in all of it, is that love is being poured out. It truly is the very least we could do for those in serious need, but I think this is what Jesus was talking about. Responding to the needs of complete strangers and providing for them through loss, heartbreak, hunger, and devastation. I think this is what love is suppose to look like." Blue Like Jazz author, Donald Miller, commented on the outpouring of local support by saying, "I'm so proud of the people of Nashville, TN. This is proof that music and art helps create strong communities.” Anderson Cooper of CNN, in a rare segment on the flood, said, “In Nashville there are so many people volunteering to help their neighbors in the wake of the flooding. It's truly inspiring to hear about.” HELP FROM CHARITIES AND CHURCHES Charities and church groups have played a huge role in the initial recovery as well. Brentwood Baptist gave over $80,000 in flood relief, mobilized over 1,000 members and 75 families to go out into the communities and organized with six other local area churches. Katy Maki, a Nashville resident and relief organizer that I spoke with talked about the relief efforts organized by her home church, Cross Point. "My church alone has had over 2,000 volunteers since the floods who have helped 500 homes and saved Nashville homeowners $2 million dollars. I've never been SO proud of my church family as I am now. These are the most selfless, caring individuals I've met. My church was actually getting out there and being the church and I think because of that, we really were speaking into people's lives. We were showing Christ's love as he intended. We were giving the terms 'Christian' or 'church' an image that was opposite of so many connotations that are out there." Gabe from Circleslide mentioned that volunteers from Otter Creek church came to their house on more than one occasion to help them tear up carpet, move spared belongings to storage, provide meals and pray with them. "We're so thankful," Gabe said. "Our own personal church, St. B's, had a roaming group of volunteers that helped those affected by the flood. In addition, Music Cares, the Grammy foundation, was one of the first organizations to respond and help both my wife and I with financial aid. They have been amazing during this time." Gabe had a lot of great things to say about another organization that has come alongside his family to help with this disaster. "When it comes to helping artists out in Nashville," Gabe explains, "no one does a better job than Porter's Call. They responded first, asking us what our needs were. They raised money, told our story on the web and they've been a great comfort and support when we've felt isolated or alone. I would highly encourage donations to Porter's Call as so many musicians have lost their livelihoods, and their ability to inspire, and this great organization is doing tremendous work in helping get them back on their feet as well as helping them deal with the stress and trauma of the destruction." The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee recently announced on July 12th that they have rewarded a total of $2.1 million to date in flood relief grants to date to local organizations (read full press release). The foundation's disaster response funds are strategically addressing the needs as they evolve and as lives are rebuilt from the floods. Grants from the Tennessee Emergency Response Fund are also being made to nonprofits supporting relief and restoration in areas of Middle Tennessee affected by the floods. Donations can be made to the fund at www.cfmt.org. Hands of Nashville have also been a huge part in coordinating volunteers and providing easy ways for people to sign up and get involved. Their disaster relief center in Bellevue continues to provide support, months after the flood. You can go to hon.org to volunteer or to donate money.

Clare Baker, right, hugs her friend, Melinda Murphy, as Murphy leaves after helping Baker salvage items from Baker's flood-damaged home on Tuesday, May 4, 2010 in Nashville, Tennessee. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)
Katie Haskell, a Nashville resident and relief organizer, said, "I have been working with the local Salvation Army here in Nashville. It has been a very tangible way to serve. Making sandwiches and then handing them out on job sites and organizing donation drives and handing out hygiene kits are two of the many tasks I've done. I have really enjoyed getting involved directly with them, forming life long relationships and feeling a part of their family. I know it's a place I can continue to volunteer for years to come." Click here to visit their website. THE MUSIC COMMUNITY RESPONDS In the days after the flood, the music city responded with a number of special benefit concerts raising money for flood relief. Brandon Heath joined songwriter and “Producer of the Year” Jason Ingram for an event that raised $61,857 for area flood victims, during their third annual “Love Your Neighbor” concert on May 18. The free-with-donation show attracted a standing-room only crowd at Fellowship Bible Church in Brentwood, TN, and was also streamed live online. The night featured intimate performances by Christian music’s biggest names including tobyMac, Mike Donehey of Tenth Avenue North, Britt Nicole, Brandon Heath and Jason Ingram, plus special unannounced guest, Amy Grant. Jaci Velasquez partnered with The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee for the “Music City Keep on Playin’” flood relief telethon, broadcast live on GAC from the Ryman Auditorium on May 16th, and featured performances by Velasquez as well as Brad Paisley, Dierks Bentley, Lady Antebellum, Keith Urban, Sheryl Crow, Keb’ Mo’, Kellie Pickler, CeCe Winans, Martina McBride, Will Hoge and many more. The event raised more than $1.8 million. One of the biggest benefit concerts in the area was spearheaded by superstar couple Faith Hill and Tim McGraw. "Nashville Rising: A Benefit Concert For Flood Recovery" took place on June 22nd at Nashville's Bridgestone Arena and included performances by With Amy Grant, Billy Ray Cyrus, Blake Shelton, Carrie Underwood, Jason Aldean, Julie Roberts, LeAnn Rimes, Luke Bryan, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Martina McBride, Michael W. Smith, Miley Cyrus, Miranda Lambert, Montgomery Gentry, Taylor Swift (who personally donated $500,000 towards relief efforts), Toby Keith and ZZ Top. The event raised more than $2.2 million for flood relief efforts. HELP IS STILL NEEDED But even with all the community support, and money raised through national and local charties along with various benefits, there is still much to do. The biggest way those not from the Nashville area can help would be to visit hon.org and donate (whether it's money, clothes and/or supplies). Make sure to stress that they donate locally so donations can be used for flood relief, unlike those donating to the Red Cross, where money does not neccessary go to the local community. For those willing to come and volunteer their time, they will always be welcome and Hands on Nashville or Cross Point Church are continuing to organize volunteer opportunities. At this point, the clean up process is mostly finished, so organizations are looking for those skilled in building, electrical work, etc. Lastly, you can purchase a flood relief T-shirt here, where 100% of profits go to Cross Point Church, Grace Church Nashville, Williamson County United Way and Music Cares. Each of these organizations have been working diligently to put money DIRECTLY back into the community. You can also purchase one of the nationally recognized "We Are Nashville" T-shirts here. If bought, this shirt supports the Community Foundation’s Flood Relief Fund, which means all money stays local in the affected areas to assist non-profits who are helping victims of this disaster. "If nothing else," says Sarah Ross of the group Everlife, putting a final perspective on this tragedy that is still being recovered from, "I hope that this crisis helps us all to realize the importance of community, and really being able to love others well. We are called to love each other and be selfless, and to help those that are in need. We love a God that is bigger than all of this. A God that can give us peace in situations like these. Not a peace that makes it all make sense, but a peace big enough to pass understanding. [Nashville], you are loved!"
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