Many in Nashville and the surrounding areas where hit hard by the devastating flooding resulting from the more than 13 inches of rain that fell on the mid-state on May 1 and 2, 2010. In response, Metro-Nashville government set up Disaster Information Centers throughout much of the area.
One that started up on Wednesday after the flood was at the Hadley Park Community Center near Tennessee State University in North Nashville. As much of the mainstream media attention was focused on the downtown business district, and the Bellevue communities, the flooding of North Nashville has not been as well publicized. That began to change on Wednesday when Councilman At Large Jerry Maynard brought Mayor Dean over to the center to view services being provided; which included computer access and help with filing FEMA claims via computer, tetanus shots and free legal advice.
The Salvation Army deployed a mobile center to the parking lot of the community center where they provided hot meals and water for free. State Rep Brenda Gilmore, Councilwoman Erica Gilmore and Councilman Lonnell Mathews were also on hand listening to the concerns of citizens, and attempting to provide direction.
Mayor Dean commented at the center that “North Nashville was hit hard by the storm.” Then referencing the Hamilton Rd and Tucker Rd area of Bordeaux, he stated that public works was going to “hit this thing the next couple of days”.
After a short time Mayor Dean, Councilman Maynard and Metro Police Chief Ronald Surpass headed on a caravan tour up 28th Avenue to Ted Rhodes Golf Course on Ed Temple Blvd. The street was blocked off during previous days due to floodwaters that had poured into the road. By Wednesday they had receded back into the golf course, but in some areas were just inches from the street, still.
Mayor Dean spoke with regulars of the course who were surveying the area themselves, such as Booker White of the Nashville Duff Golfers. “The club house is flooded,” White told the Mayor as he approached; worried as to whether they’d be able to have their 22nd annual Sickle Cell Anemia tournament that is scheduled for Memorial Day weekend.
Dean and company moved on North to the County Hospital Rd area of Bordeaux, off of Clarksville Highway. Whites Creek Park was still covered in water, with a pool of water 60 feet long covering the section of road in front of the park between Lagrange and Panorama Dr.
As the Mayor and his contingent walked up Panorama, Annett, who was at her sister Dorothy’s house of 3214 Panorama yelled jubilantly “Thank y’all, y’all finally here. Thank y’all.”
Throughout the neighborhood water had flooded basements, and backyards; but not come into the main part of the houses.
Asked about complaints that attention had not been given to that part of Nashville the same way it had been given to others especially by the media, but nor by the city, Mayor Dean responded, “we’re going to work hard to take care of people across the city.”
From there the tour moved down Clarksville highway to West Hamilton Avenue, where the first impression was that of the site of swollen Whites Creek that was visible from the street. As we approached near Tucker Rd. the grabbing images were those of the rows of debris stacks. Nearly every house along numerous blocks of the street had its contents of dressers, mattresses, living room chairs, washing machines, etc., piled out on the curb.
At the intersection of West Hamilton and Tucker, which is at the foot of the Tucker Rd bridge; neighbors organized a clean up relief area replete with plenty of water for those toiling to clean out house; both residents and volunteers. Setting up at this location was possible because of the striking scene behind their bottled water depot, that of the disheveled concrete of the bridged that looked as if it had been jack hammered. The powerful waters of the Whites Creek reeked havoc the pavement.
Most citizens of Bordeaux were of good spirits, and felt “blessed” despite their losses. Abbey and Bobby Perkins of West Hamilton praised Council Maynard for his responsiveness earlier that week in getting police protection out to the neighborhood when they were worried that unscrupulous perspms might be “casing” the area; and further feeling like they were in a fishbowl for sightseers. “They were just driving by and looking, like we were in a zoo. It makes you not able to concentrate on what you need to do,” Mrs. Perkins said, “so we were so glad to have the police posted in the neighborhood, it made us feel safe”.
Mr. Perkins, added about the volunteer help that they’d received that “we haven’t wanted for nothing. People offering us food, bringing us pizza” Just as he spoke, a young lady asked from the street “do you need any water?” Perkins politely responded “no thank you, then punctuated his previous statement, “see it’s been like this all day.”
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Read more: http://www.blogdoctor.me/2007/02/expandable-post-summaries.html#ixzz0fvTXmFSF
http://www.tn.gov/labor-wfd/flood_jobs.html
