Nashville Flood

May came in with a BANG this year in Nashville. The first weekend in May, we received over 13 inches of rain in less than 48hours. As a result it caused massive flooding all over the city of Nashville. Before our power went out on Saturday I was in disbelief as I saw an 18 wheeler completely submerged in water on I-24 and the mobile home that it had been carrying actually floating down I-24. I knew that the Harpeth River which runs along side our neighborhood was swelling and that it could come over its bank but I never fathomed how far above the bank it would actually rise. We realized that we were flooded in when Matt tried to run to the grocery store for me. For the rest of the morning we tried to get some work done around the house all the while keeping an eye on the rising water as it continued to rain. Mid-morning Matt put on his waiters and began going from house to house helping our neighbors salvage their belongings as the water continued to rise and start invading their homes. What started as salvaging belongings turned into saving people from their flooded homes. Our neighbor had a bass boat and he and Matt drove around rescuing people. Around 5pm Matt came back by the house and told me to pack a bag for myself and the kids with at least 3 days worth of clothing and supplies. I think initially I was in shock but eventually began packing. The kids and I waited in line to get on a boat and be transported out of our neighborhood to safety. It was such a surreal experience to be taken by boat accross an area that we usually drive and walk. the current was unbelieveable! The kids were excellent through the whole process. One of Matt's co-workers and friend met us on the other side and drove us to Kimberly's house. Matt stayed back and continued to help people get themselves, their children and their animals on the boats and off to safety. He got Baylor and Elway and they took the very last boat out that evening around 9pm. We were not very concerned about our house flooding but we had no power and very little food. The Nashville Rescue team was telling us it could be as long as a week before we had power. Luckily, we were house sitting for some friends and we actually went and sat in their house! We can not say thank you enough to them for letting us invade their home while they were away. We are VERY blessed and VERY lucky that our house did not sustain any flood damage.

Our hearts go out to those that did have their homes flooded. It is devastating to drive through the hardest hit areas and see all the debris on the streets and the gutted homes. You honestly can not imagine the extent until you see it first hand. We continue to pray for all the families affected and are trying to work through our church to reach out to people and help. Please keep Nashville in your prayers.