2010 Nashville Flood

When finally arriving home, I was headed to work for the day...it was going to be a long day but I was looking forward to my comfy bed that evening. The next few days weren't too bad at the office...Trae was going to be gone the weekend coming up, and I was just going to chill at home and relax...my sister came over to spend time with me, and then the weather started to take a turn for the worse...the rain began...it rained non stop for 2 days straight, roads were starting to flood because the ground so saturated.
I was staying in that weekend so I didn't mind the rain except when I needed to run errands...so the day before the events of the weekend unfolded,  I took  my happy self over to the mall across the street and bought some rain boots...little did I know they were a smart investment! We drove around to see how high the water was because it was still raining. The river was definitely rising to significant level over the bank.  Watching the water rise was the craziest thing ever. It was a long 24hrs as the water kept rising...
I lived in one of the Pennington Bend subdivisions, which is a development thats 75% surrounded by the Cumberland River, over by Opryland Hotel. The explorer in me had me curious to see how high the water was on the river bank that morning, I wanted to drive around and see for myself so I put on my cute rain boots and my sister and I set out for a rainy adventure.
Just down the road we have a community playground with a boat access ramp to the Cumberland river called Lock Two Park...I remember sunny days and picnics at this place, laying on blankets enjoying the summer breeze only to see it in a tragic different light as I pulled up... The water had risen to a substantial height that it almost as if we had no park anymore. This was definitely a moment of reality, I was no longer playing in my rain boots that day...

we continued down the back road towards the mall as we turned the last corner I saw some people standing next to where a dock use to be and the water was so high that it was almost to the road I stopped for some pictures to send Trae and kepting going, just past the trees I could see the back parking lot entrance to Opryland and Opry Mills...a place and traffic route all to familiar to me completely under water. I didn't quite understand the state of emergency our city was in until that moment...
We grabbed a bite to eat and headed back to the house.  When My sister and I got home, we were watching the news and saw that part of the interstate was completely underwater, when I saw that I was shocked and worried because that was the way Trae was supposed to come home... The water around my house continued to slowly rise as we uninterruptedly stared at the news for hours watching the Flood unfold and the waters take over our city.
As I let my pups out for potty breaks I kept a close eye on the field next to house since it backed up to the river...I knew once I saw water starting to rise there that we were in for trouble. I came back inside to check the news and fell asleep for about an hour...when I woke up and looked out side the field next to me was no longer a field but a lake and the water was creeping up fast in the cul-da-sac in front of my house. I knew at that point it was time to evacuate.

My sister was in panic mode...but in times like these I truely try to stay as calm as possible. I went up stairs to pack a bag for my parents house and shower... when I came back outside preparing to leave the water was gushing...People were everywhere around my house because the water was coming from our direction into the neighborhood. I previously had moved my car into the garage and one of the work trucks to the driveway with the engine up as high as I could incline it...unfortunately our friend who was staying with us didn't leave his keys for me to move his 4Runner. We made it safely to my parents house that evening. But I was slowly becoming a mess because Trae was trying to get home and he got stuck in Chattanooga due to the storm and wasn't going to be able to get home until the morning.

I couldn't eat or sleep all night I was so worried about my home and if it was going to be there the next morning...As far as the news I hadn't heard much about my neighborhood so I took that as a sign that we were fine....it wasn't until the next morning.
I woke up at 7 am to turn on the news and helicopters were flying over my neighborhood and Opryland and all you could see were rooftops surrounded by water. I knew at that moment our house was gone but I had to see for myself. I told my mom I was driving home to meet Trae he had already hit the road and was trying to get home as early as possible. As I pulled into the entrance to our subdivision I was blocked by cars and people just staring down the street of water.
I couldn't even see my house from the point of entrance so I drove down a side street that was at a higher level to get closer hoping that I could walk back or wade through the water....I managed to hop from porch to porch of my neighbors houses all the way to the house across the cul-da-sac from us. The further back I got the deeper the water got. As I walked waded through the water over to her porch I saw my house and I was thanking GOD that the water was barely brushing our garage. Although my friends 4Runner was almost completely submerged under water.
It was a relief to call Trae and tell him that the house could be ok, but the thing was that the water still had more feet to rise before the river crested. When Trae finally arrived I walked him back. He decided against my better judgement to stay the night at the house...The current was so strong and the water was high that it scared me for him to cross the street to get to our house but he did and got there safely. I Stayed at my parents for another day or two while we waited for the water to recede...The city was a total disaster zone...this unforeseen historic flood was something no one expected, but it brought our community together...

The WE ARE NASHVILLE campaign really put the "Volunteer" state to the test and we passed with flying colors. We pulled together and prevailed. Its still a very vivid memory to me and its been a year since the events..everyday I look out of my office and still see the man made sandbag levee that was protecting Metro Center, and it reminds me of a community I am proud to be a part of.

Photo by Alice Sullivan

In Memory and Dedicated to the Victims of the 2010 Nashville Flood
.:XOXO TMARIE:.