The Retailer’s Perspective: Water, water everywhere - but not a drop to drink

On May 1st, 2nd, and 3rd of 2010, Nashville, TN experienced what is known in emergency response circles as an MCI - a Major Catastrophic Incident.  We fell victim to the worst flooding in the US in years.  In a 48 hour period, middle Tennessee received the greatest amount of rainfall in recorded history and everything flooded.  I now know what Noah must have gone through.  So, I thought I’d share a ‘feel good’ story or two (or three) with everyone.

To set the scene, I’m a 10 year veteran officer with Metro Nashville Office of Emergency Management and I was in uniform with a badge and a radio so I was what we call a ‘uniformed officer’.  My day went something like this...

On Monday the 3rd, the rain had finally stopped and the sun came out.  I checked in for service at 5:45 am.  My first call of the day was for a family trapped on top of a mini van in the Opry Mills Shopping Center parking lot and their car was drifting.  Yikes!  While en-route, we got word that they had made it to safety so I was diverted to check on and evacuate (if needed) a nursing home/retirement village that had been cut-off for two days from all services.  I remembered on my way to the call, running with full lights and sirens, that my column was due that morning and I had to call my editor and tell him I was kind of busy at the moment and I’d be a little late.  He understood.

All access to this neighborhood had been cut off and the only way in or out was by boat.  I backed my boat into the water in the middle of a normally busy road and went to see what was on the other side.  The ‘other side’ was about a half mile away and out of sight of the launch point.  We were boating on a major road trying to use the telephone poles to find our way.  An interstate highway runs beside this road and it was under water and shut down as well so we just winged it and finally made our way to the other side.

When we got there, we found about 50-75 people standing at the waters edge waiting to be evacuated.  My boat could carry maybe 4.  Fortunately, about 10 or more boats that civilians had brought out were doing most of the shuttle work so I went to check on the nursing home.  Their backup generators were functioning fine and for the most part everyone was in a pretty good mood so I got re-assigned to do ‘knock-and-talk’s’ in the neighborhood, which are basically to knock on a door and check on the condition of the homeowner.

Aside from the retirement village, there are probably 2-3,000 other homes and families in this area.  Since all cell towers were down, all electricity and phones were out, and there was no other access, worried family members would show up at the command center (on the dry side) inquiring about a family member.  Command would radio me the address and name of the person and I’d go check on them.  The average call was someone’s 80 year old mother or father who hadn’t been heard from in two or more days.  I was lucky and found everyone I was looking for and they were all fine.  I kept wondering when my luck was going to run out.