big flood

I should write more often. Time gets away from me, but I need to comment on the great flood here. Although the official amount of rain for Nashville was about 14 inches in two days, we had about 19 inches. And we were trapped here in the neighborhood. In fact, Hwy 96, Hwy 100, I40, Old Harding, and just about all the roads were closed. The power was off, we had no water (we found out later a main had burst ) and no phone. BUT- we didn't flood here on top of the hill. So many people in Bellevue lost everything. Now you drive down the roads and all the possessions of these poor families are out on the street to be picked up. Water laden dry wall, beds, appliances, boxes of who knows what- all out to be thrown away. Mom and Dad were flooded from the Harpeth in their finished basement. We have been helping out, throwing soggy everything away. It is so hard on them, and they are too old to deal with it all. Jon and I went to stay at Rebecca's house. She and Matt were in Seattle, and I was so glad to have a place to go to. When we could finally leave the neighborhood, we had to pick up the Natchez Trace on Hwy 100 before the closed area, drive to Leiper's Fork, drive down Old Hillsboro (where we found gas, thank goodness) and on to Hillsboro to Old Hickory to Hwy 100. In other words, we drove about 50 miles to go 10 miles, but it was the only way. We had Rebecca's cat in the car and Elsie. Somehow they knew to behave. I can hardly believe that I have all those pioneers in my ancestry. I felt like such a wimp, and I'm still pining for my land line phone!! Who knows when we'll have that again. We were at Rebecca's for four nights until the power came on and we had water again.
I wonder if the people will try to rebuild in the areas that flooded. Although the flooding has never happened before, I sure wouldn't feel good living there. People died here in Nashville! A good friend lost her home and all possessions. No one had flood insurance in these areas, because they weren't flood zones. I just don't know what will happen to them. How sad. Even in our house water poured in the basement where the water line comes in. Never happened before. I'm filling that gap up with concrete!
In addition we bought a condominium in Navarre Beach Florida. It is lovely, but now we are dealing with the oil spill and the prospect of the beautiful white sands covered with oil and tar. The fishermen will be out of work, and the animals will be suffering. It is a sad time in so many places.