What You Should Know About the Nashville Flood
We have been hit with a lot of news in recent weeks.
Another Wall Street scandal, the oil spill in the Gulf and the car bomb in Times Square, not to mention the Greek riots and the historic one-day market plunge.
These grab our combined attention and gave us concern about the future.
But the Nashville flood is a disaster of epic proportions that did not receive its share of national coverage.
The fact that this was the worst local flooding in 80 years and resulted in billions of dollars in damages as well as the loss of dozens of lives should have made this front page news, even if it was below the fold.
The almost yearly ritual of the Mississippi overflowing its banks is covered by the media from the river's source all the way down to the New Orleans delta, a process that could take weeks.
There were some pictures of the Nashville flood on the network news; however, devastation caused by the rain and the resulting flood was scarce, since news organizations tend to report what others report.
Maybe it's because most people never heard of the Cumberland River.
Or they know little about Nashville except that it's famous for country music and the Grand Ole Opry.
Perhaps it's as simple as the story has no political sidebar.
Tennesseans are independent and self-reliant folks -- the "Volunteer State" and all that.
They take care of each other and don't look for a hand out, but they will accept a helping hand.
The locals handled evacuations or brought in food and supplies as needed.
They took care of their own homes, damaged by 13 inches of rain in as many hours, and then helped their immediate neighbors and those in the surrounding communities.
And there were few reports of looting.
This could well be a case study about what Americans can do rather than waiting for what is often slow and ineffective government assistance, although Homeland Security did make its obligatory appearance and promised assistance.
The residents of Nashville did not depend on nor do they blame the federal government for what might be the biggest non-hurricane natural disaster this country has seen.
One that caused more damage in the area than any event since the Civil War.
It is going to take lots of money and plenty of hard work to bring life back to normal.
There has been unsolicited help from those who owe their wealth and fame to Nashville.
Country singer Taylor Swift gave $500,000 to the cause.
Kenny Chesney wrote a song that can be downloaded free, which makes the general public aware of what happened.
And members of the NFL Tennessee Titans showed up to help clean up the mess.
As the folks of Nashville and neighboring counties continue the costly cleanup effort, the nation will start to learn more about the Tennessee tragedy.
Of course, outside funds and manpower will be needed to help handle the problems faced by the "Music City," But the local citizens will figure out a way to get through the aftermath and be better for it.
And the people of Nashville will be closer as a community because they took care of the problem together.
What could be more American than that?
Another Wall Street scandal, the oil spill in the Gulf and the car bomb in Times Square, not to mention the Greek riots and the historic one-day market plunge.
These grab our combined attention and gave us concern about the future.
But the Nashville flood is a disaster of epic proportions that did not receive its share of national coverage.
The fact that this was the worst local flooding in 80 years and resulted in billions of dollars in damages as well as the loss of dozens of lives should have made this front page news, even if it was below the fold.
The almost yearly ritual of the Mississippi overflowing its banks is covered by the media from the river's source all the way down to the New Orleans delta, a process that could take weeks.
There were some pictures of the Nashville flood on the network news; however, devastation caused by the rain and the resulting flood was scarce, since news organizations tend to report what others report.
Maybe it's because most people never heard of the Cumberland River.
Or they know little about Nashville except that it's famous for country music and the Grand Ole Opry.
Perhaps it's as simple as the story has no political sidebar.
Tennesseans are independent and self-reliant folks -- the "Volunteer State" and all that.
They take care of each other and don't look for a hand out, but they will accept a helping hand.
The locals handled evacuations or brought in food and supplies as needed.
They took care of their own homes, damaged by 13 inches of rain in as many hours, and then helped their immediate neighbors and those in the surrounding communities.
And there were few reports of looting.
This could well be a case study about what Americans can do rather than waiting for what is often slow and ineffective government assistance, although Homeland Security did make its obligatory appearance and promised assistance.
The residents of Nashville did not depend on nor do they blame the federal government for what might be the biggest non-hurricane natural disaster this country has seen.
One that caused more damage in the area than any event since the Civil War.
It is going to take lots of money and plenty of hard work to bring life back to normal.
There has been unsolicited help from those who owe their wealth and fame to Nashville.
Country singer Taylor Swift gave $500,000 to the cause.
Kenny Chesney wrote a song that can be downloaded free, which makes the general public aware of what happened.
And members of the NFL Tennessee Titans showed up to help clean up the mess.
As the folks of Nashville and neighboring counties continue the costly cleanup effort, the nation will start to learn more about the Tennessee tragedy.
Of course, outside funds and manpower will be needed to help handle the problems faced by the "Music City," But the local citizens will figure out a way to get through the aftermath and be better for it.
And the people of Nashville will be closer as a community because they took care of the problem together.
What could be more American than that?
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