I merrily went into work on Monday knowing that my basement was in good shape. I had a pretty good day at work too. Then 5:17 arrived, and the proverbial pin dropped. I was informed that my sister’s place, a rental place, was caught in the wake of the Cumberland River. Why did it take so long to find out you ask? Well, that’s a good question, and one that I found myself asking.
It turns out that when she left for work that morning there was relatively little water in her yard. Keep in mind this was Monday morning. The rain stopped on Sunday. While at work and unbeknown to her, the Cumberland river was still rising. 50 ft, 51 ft, 52 ft, then finally 53 ft. While that was happening, the Opryland Hotel and Opry Mills mall were overtaken by the advancing water or ad least getting further overtaken. Unfortunately for my sister, the waters found a low spot on Briley Pkwy, and through that access to her house and 5 neighbors. At its height, the water was about 5′ deep close to her house, and fortunately she was on a 2′-3 ft foundation. The water inside her house rose to 2-3′ feet allowing her electronics and the majority of her clothing and pictures to survive.
I also came across some photos of some “unknown” yahoos that took their kayaks out into the flooded Briley Pkwy. Quite an up close and different view than than you get from the news cameras. I have the “full story” on this should anyone be interested.
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