Music City on our Minds

Several of you have been kind enough to ask how Dayton fared in the recent storms that flooded Nashville.  I'm happy to report that we didn’t see any major damage here—we’re located about 150 miles southeast of Music City—but my sister and her husband live in Nashville, (as do several friends and readers), so they’ve all been affected.  It should be noted that there’s been severe damage throughout west and middle Tennessee, not just in Nashville.  Governor Bredesen has requested FEMA assistance for 52 counties.

Fortunately, Tim and Amanda’s home is safe. But Amanda works for the Christian Women’s Job Corp downtown and reports that several of her clients who rely on public transportation to get to work or school are essentially stranded.

This is a picture of Amanda.  (See any resemblance?)

Here are some pictures she took around town.

Some of my favorite bloggers are from Nashville and have written extensively about the storm: 

• Jenni Catron wrote about how leaders have emerged during critical moments of the disaster and shared some startling pictures of damage just a few blocks from her house.

• Pete Wilson— whose book entitled Plan B released this week— had dinner with Anderson Cooper last night! (Check out the post for a really interesting conversation between Pete and AC.) I’ve been really impressed how Crosspoint Church has stepped it up during this crisis.

• Shaun Groves wrote an excellent piece reminding us that while the Nashville floods are tragic, they do not warrant comparisons to Hurricane Katrina or the Haitian earthquake.

• Jessica Miller Kelley shared some pictures from around town.The Opryland Hotel images are especially sad to see.

• Anne Jackson wrote a great, practical post about how to respond to emergencies without getting in the way.

• Lindsey Nobles describes feeling completely spent after the water crept into her own home.

If you want to help, here’s a pretty comprehensive list on how to do so. Or you can always donate to the Christian Women’s Job Corp! I know for a fact that the money will be spent wisely because my sister is a rock star when it comes to helping people.

(Special thanks to Kristen—an old college friend and faithful reader—for helping me gather together some info.)

So, have you ever witnessed a natural disaster firsthand?