Seeing the Floods Firsthand

We've all seen a lot in the last week. Some of it on TV and the internet, and some in person. Here's a sampling of what I and some of my friends and family have witnessed.

Saturday afternoon: up until this point we were annoyed that the weather coverage was pre-empting the Kentucky Derby (as a Louisville native, the Derby is a high-holy day for Jessica) and preventing all but one of our guests from attending our Derby Party. Once we saw these images on our TV, we realized that the rain was no mere annoyance.

You can't see it here, but the lowest point of Dunbar Cave Rd. (very close to our house) was under several feet of water.

Here are several photos Jessica took on Tuesday when she took a brief walk from her office on 8th Avenue in downtown Nashville:

A submerged SUV on 2nd avenue.

A view from the Shelby Street pedestrian bridge of LP Field, where the Tennessee Titans play. The thing that looks like roller coaster track is allegedly a work of art.

Joe's Crab Shack.

On Thursday I went to a house in Hendersonville with my friend, Gavin Richardson, to do some cleanup work.

This woman hadn't thrown anything away in decades. The smells gave new meaning to gross.

One corner of her garage.

Just a few of the literally thousands of people who have some from all over the region and all over the country to help. The three people in the foreground were all from different states!

Please keep praying for our state. There are many areas that were hit very hard and will take a long time to recover. If you're so inclined, you can donate to the Red Cross or UMCOR, and if you live near Nashville and want to volunteer, you can connect with needs at Hands on Nashville.