The 500-Year Flood--Week Two--Nashville, TN (77 images)

In the second week after what was middle Tennessee's 500-year flood, life finally began to take on a routine of sorts for the tens of thousands of survivors. Recovery started for many of the survivors with simply waiting for the muddy waters to recede. Then came the initial pass through to throw out obvious debris--flood-water ruined furniture, carpets, insulation, etc.--a heart-breaking work which I strive to document in this series of images. It is the resilient, "can-do"...
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In the second week after what was middle Tennessee's 500-year flood, life finally began to take on a routine of sorts for the tens of thousands of survivors. Recovery started for many of the survivors with simply waiting for the muddy waters to recede. Then came the initial pass through to throw out obvious debris--flood-water ruined furniture, carpets, insulation, etc.--a heart-breaking work which I strive to document in this series of images. It is the resilient, "can-do" response on the part of those knee-deep in debris and destroyed family heirlooms which drew my cameras for the creation of this photo essay.

Rainfall of 13 inches to 18 inches in 36 hours on the 1st and 2nd of May, 2010, caused widespread flooding throughout the Cumberland River basin. Twenty-three deaths were attributed to this natural disaster with an estimated cost of $1.5 billion dollars. More than 23,000 Tennesseans registered with FEMA (the Federal Emergency Management Agency) for assistance, with more than 40 Tennessee counties declared natural disaster areas.

The numbers do not do justice to the disaster. They never do. The images help bring the struggle to a level better understood by those who did not live it.
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