One year ago Laura and I were out in East Nashville trying to help our neighbors recover from the great flood of 2010.
We happened to be in Florida when the storm and flood ravaged Nashville, and as soon as we heard news of the devastating weather we hit the road to try to get back as fast as possible. As we headed home we quickly learned that the interstates in and out of Nashville were closed and that it would be impossible for us to get home until the waters had receded. We stayed one night at my sister’s place in Atlanta while we waited for the roads to open. When we finally made it home we were blessed to find our house unaffected. However, many of our neighbors had not fared as well. Many people were in need of help. Fortunately, our neighborhood is full of people always willing to help when people are in need.
Our neighbor, Alan Murdock, told us he had turned his business space into a sort of command central for flood relief volunteers. He partnered with Hands On Nashville and pretty soon tons of people were showing up at his place in the Five Points area of East Nashville to wait for marching orders on where to help. Below are several pictures I took both at ArtHouse Gardens and at several locations where we helped people cope with damage from the flood.
I recently had the opportunity to attend a Hands On Nashville one year anniversary event commemorating several individuals and institutions who provided major relief efforts for the flood of 2010. Having volunteered through Hands On Nashville I can tell you that the organization is run amazingly well and is whole-heartedly dedicated to volunteerism. I was fortunate to speak with Lisa Davis Purcell (Director of External Affairs) and learned a lot about the organization. Lisa is an extremely dedicated and hard working person who cares deeply about Hands On Nashville, and, more importantly, about helping those in need in Nashville and the state of Tennessee. If you’re looking to do some heartwarming volunteer work, I encourage you to check out Hands On Nashville.
Here’s a map of where the below pictures were taken.
To see the entire set of photos, head over to Flickr to 2010 05-08 East Nashville Flood Relief.
Last year, on May 5, I posted a blog with immersive panoramic pictures of downtown Nashville. To see those images check out my post, The Nashville Flood of 2010.