When You Pass Through The Waters

If you don't live in Nashville, you might not even know about what happened to us here. I know a lot of other important national news has happened over the past few days. But in the meantime, our city was drowning.

It started raining on Saturday morning, before the sun came up - although, to be fair, the sun never really showed. Saturday afternoon the onslaught of flash flood warnings became rapid reality. The mild-mannered Mill Creek, which runs right past our neighborhood, became a vast, angry river, overtaking roads, bridges, homes, and even interstate 24. Piles of cars sank under the water, and a building wrenched from the ground floated down the highway until the water tore it to pieces.



This type of flooding happened all over middle Tennessee on Saturday as the rains kept coming. Across the street, we watched the creek - not even usually visible from our house - rise and rush through neighbors' backyards, giving our community temporary lakeside status. It engulfed our common ground, leaving just the tops of the gazebo and swingset visible. We found the other playground set half in a tree the next day.



We feel incredibly blessed to have remained safe and dry. The inconvenience of being trapped in our neighborhood for a few days was nothing in comparison to the damages sustained elsewhere. The first wave of flooding in creeks and other small waterways around town peaked on Saturday. But it kept raining, heavy, ceaseless rain, until Sunday night. And when it finally stopped raining, the swollen creeks dumped their waters into swollen rivers and the rivers just kept rising. The sun was shining as the Cumberland River, which wraps itself around downtown Nashville, crept into the heart of our city. It finally crested at almost 52 feet, a full 12 feet above flood stage. The damage was beyond done, with muddy flood waters seeping into some of our most precious institutions.


The beautiful Schermerhorn Symphony hall had water throughout the basement, soaking and possibly ruining the $2.5 million organ. Both LP Field, home of the Titans, and Bridgestone Arena, home of the Predators, were affected.


Just down the river, the vast complex of the Opryland Hotel and Opry Mills mall were flooded, forcing evacuation of the hotel's guests. It is possible they might not reopen for months.


And in news that was a particularly painful blow for all of Music City, one of the last places reported flooded was the beloved Grand Ole Opry House. I walked this building annually when GMA held the Dove Awards here, and the stage is essentially sacred ground for all of country music.


So a really terrible thing happened to our city this weekend. More terrible than the two-minute blurbs on CNN and MSNBC and FOX News have let on. The death toll is nearly 30 and rising as waters recede and tragedies are uncovered. Thousands have lost their homes and vehicles, and the very heart of our city's business has been seriously affected. Many are still without power, and flooding at one of two main water treatment plants has put the entire county's water supply in crisis. We are in a mandatory water conservation situation as water reserves are rapidly being depleting.

But something wonderful has also happened here, as people and organizations have gone above and beyond to help. As I read updates today, I was totally overwhelmed with love for this city and the people in it. Volunteer opportunities were filled within minutes of being posted, money was raised and funds matched, concerts and benefits organized... to take care of each other in this soggy hour is something special.

Though I don't know if they'll ever read it, I wanted to say a special thanks to the ladies of Nashvillest. Since the water started to rise, they were (and continue to be) an amazing invaluable resource. Their blog is a wealth of information on how anyone can help, and the links, stories, and pictures will move you to do so. Also, Twitter was literally a lifeline during this tragedy, in a truly revolutionary way. People in need were connected with helpers, vital information about roads and danger zones was communicated instantaneously... seriously remarkable.

And finally, and most importantly, God is still God here. I pray that the followers of Christ here in Nashville will rise up in an awesome way, to glorify God by advancing His kingdom here in the midst of tragedy. I can't think of a more appropriate ending than these verses from Isaiah 43:

But now, this is what the LORD says—
he who created you, O Jacob,
he who formed you, O Israel:
"Fear not, for I have redeemed you;
I have called you by name; you are mine.
When you pass through the waters,
I will be with you;
and when you pass through the rivers,
they will not sweep over you.