Flooding in Tennessee

Hmmmm. Where to begin. The national news media seems to be ignoring Tennessee's plight. I just erased a sentence about us being considered hicks and rednecks, unworthy of attention from the media, but that is unfair. Keith Olberman mentioned us on MSNBC. Fox News momentarily had us on their top story, but we were quickly bumped by an arrest in NYC, you know THAT doesn't happen everyday. One of my favorite knitting blogs, Mason-Dixon Knitting mentioned us, but that really doesn't count since one of the writers lives right in town.

Aaron tells me I shouldn't be angry because to "those people" on either coast the world is NYC, Chicago, LA and "some stuff in between." That is just the way it is. It may be just the way it is, but it still ticks me off.

This is what I wrote this morning on a friend's facebook page when she reposted a plea for contributions to the Red Cross.
"Facebook may be the only way people are hearing about this. We, like Iowa, are being ignored by most everyone. Even the Weather Channel is paying more attention to the oil spill (granted, it is bad, but it wasn't weather related!) than to the massive flooding here. The rural areas are even more effected. Most of Hickman County still has no phones-landline or cell, electricity, water- if you do have it you're under a boiling order, MANY roads are still impassible because of actual road and bridge damage instead of blockages. Schools and churches which don't have damage are Red Cross shelters (THANK YOU RED CROSS!) and at the last count, there were over 2000 people just in Nashville proper who were in Red Cross shelters. That doesn't count the enormous numbers displaced to hotels, friends and family, their cars, campers nor does it count the 52 other counties hit by the flood. As of 11:00 this morning, I don't believe the president has visited or mentioned us or even yet declared us a federal disaster area, though our governor, Phil Bredesen-D, asked on Sunday for assistance.
Whew. Glad to get that off my chest. Feel free to repost"

Another friend posted KO's shout out to Tennessee and it just made me madder. Here's what I said about that before my son told me I "shouldn't be mad at Keith for being himself and he did say something." The previous quote isn't exact, but it is close to what he meant.

I said, "TN flooding was ignored because of 'bigger disasters' according to Keith Olberman. Bigger? Arizona passing a law? A bomb NOT going off in NYC? A oil spill from 2 weeks ago which is already being addressed? While I appreciate KO mentioning TN in the "Worse" report, truly, he engaged mouth before brain was in gear."

Look here for pictures from the air. Look here for video of "Flooding puts cars, trucks underwater" as well as a house that floats by said cars and trucks, from Saturday. I couldn't find the video I wanted of the people being rescued from their cars on Interstate 24 W by BOAT in the I-24 E lanes. Talk about dramatic. Here's a screen shot.
And here, we have pictures from our own experiences. Teresa's house has a tree on it and a subsequent leak. And, though the picture is blurry due to the falling rain, this is a picture from near the bottom of our driveway looking across the street at the 12 foot runoff ditch, which is full to about a 15-20 foot level at this point for fully a half mile from just out of the shot to below the springs toward Centerville. That brown streak is Old Hwy 46. The small creek on the right is the center of our driveway.

So, now I can sigh and go to knitting and get on with life for a few minutes because I've gotten that off my chest. But please do not mention the baseball fan getting tazered or the oil soaked seaweed in the Gulf. You may be surprised by the amount of ire I still harbor. I'm not mad about the flood. That is weather and beyond our control. However, we can let the media hear us from here in the South.