May 7: Imagine four feet of water in your home that is a combination of sewage
flowing out of your toilets and muddy river/creek water. Now try to visualize
everything that lives below four-feet in your home: drywall, paneling, books,
CDs, DVDs, chest-of-drawers, mattresses, beds, toys, clothes, rugs, hardwood
floors, tile, HVAC system, HVAC duct-work, photographs, electronics, piano,
refrigerator, washer and dryer, tools, pet food and pet supplies, dishwasher, garbage disposal, trash
cans, couches, chairs, floor lamps, and the list goes on…such as privacy fences, decks, outdoor grills, etc, etc.
Now imagine realizing that 85 percent of all everything I listed is/was
destroyed when you arrive home, and you’ll know what my Sunday afternoon was like on May 2.
The flood did not care what it destroyed, whether it was irreplaceable due to
sentimental reasons or if it was junk that needed to be thrown out.
However, I can say that it feels good to work for a business/institution that
cares about its employees, and this caring was evident to me from the
responses/reactions from the Chancellor, Vice Chancellors, and other leaders of
our great University. I returned to work today, Friday, after spending four
days salvaging and cleaning and was pleasantly surprised to read the responses
from our Administration. Thank you.
—Luke Beauchamp
May 5: Last night, I sat in the backyard of several of the fabulous neighbors in
our Bellevue neighborhood. We ate our burgers and hot dogs, washed them down
with a beer, laughed and told stories for hours. We were soul-weary and
body-weary after spending the day clearing out water soaked memories, ruined
mementos and dirt caked dreams. Some of us were still covered in the foul mud
that crept into our homes and the homes of our neighbors. As we talked away the
daylight, I felt so grateful for my community. Grateful for the neighbors who
banded together when cut off from the rest of the world by raging waters.
Grateful for the homes that were spared. Grateful that my neighborhood knows
each other; called to wake those in danger; rescued folks from their front
porches by boat; checked on the homes of those not home. Grateful that we
support each other physically and emotionally. We left each other last night as
the sun left the sky all a little more full in the soul than when we had
arrived.
I share my good neighbors with the Vanderbilt community. My great neighborhood
is also yours.
—Paige Moore
May 5: Nearly 5 years ago, my sister evacuated here after losing everything to
Katrina. Today, she’s back at my place after the flood in Bellevue took out her first floor and car.
But it’s different now. Although, like everyone else, there’s no insurance, we’re really struck by how much everyone at work, friends and neighbors really want
to help. Thank you, Nashville!
—Mimi Eckhard
May 8: I had a very Nashville moment just now. Delivering simple sack lunches to
neighbors in the Beautiful Valley section of Boone Trace. “We so appreciate it,” the woman said “Where can I send a thank-you note?”
Really? A thank-you note for a dry, slightly squashed turkey sandwich, a bag of
Sun Chips and a freckled banana? When her belongings have been hauled to the
dump, her house has been stripped to the frames and she’s been up to her elbows all morning in Clorox?
I’ve read and heard a lot about how Nashvillians have jumped to volunteer to help
those who has suffered losses in this disaster. Having been on the volunteering
end, I can’t tell you how impressed I have been with what an appreciative and thankful
community we are. The manners and the hospitality are running both ways, let me
tell you.
—Cynthia Floyd Manley
May 6: I live in Bellevue near River Plantation which was heavily flooded.
Thankfully, I was not flooded. I have a rain gauge in my vegetable garden which
I started monitoring on Saturday. I measured at least 20 inches of rain in a 48
hour period. At one point on Sunday, I was no longer able to get to the rain
gauge to empty it, so there was a period of time when the rain overflowed the
gauge, and therefore not included in the 20 inches that I measured.
—Sherry Thompson
