The Great Middle Tennessee Flood of 2010
The flood's aftermath in downtown Nashville. Credit: The Tennessean
In May 2010, Middle Tennessee was struck by a devasting 1000-year flooding event. The flooding occurred between the days of May 1st and May 3rd. On those days Nashville experienced back-to-back record-breaking rainfall. Nashville experienced its rainiest day of all time and its third rainiest within days of each other. The total two-day record of total rainfall was 13.57 inches, more than double the previous record of 6.68 inches. This led to rapid and uncontrollable flash flooding all along the Cumberland River (pictured above) and other bodies of water.
There is no single cause for the record-breaking flooding. However, meteorologists point to a slow-moving low-pressure system positioned in the upper atmosphere. This is combined with an unusually strong and direct front of warm tropical air. All of this combined to create a perfect storm (literally and figuratively)
The flooding resulted in the death of 27 people and caused several billions of dollars in property damages. Several counties in Middle Tennesee received federal disaster relief as the consequence of a Presidential Disaster Decleration.
I was at a friend's house for a sleepover when the flood happened. I remember us watching all the Batman movies back to back while it rained outside. Eventually, the flooding got so bad my mom couldn't come pick me up, so I got to sleep over for the second night in a row. So, in my little 8-year-old world, the flood was a good thing. My family's basement flooded but relative to a lot of others we suffered relatively minor damage.
Sources:
https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/local/2015/04/30/nashville-flood-20-things-to-know/26653901/
https://www.weather.gov/ohx/may2010flood
Hi Wiley!! The image of flooded Nashville really shows readers how intense this flood was. As someone who comes from a state with lots of snow and, in some areas, high flooding as well, it was crazy to think about the amount of rain you received in terms of snowfall. What were the next steps that the city took? How do you displace this much water to clear roads and areas?
ReplyDeleteWiley,
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading your blog. It was very informative with statistics that allowed me to clearly picture the intensity of the floods (1000 year flood, 13.57 inches, etc.). Like Anna, I was interested in learning more about the cities mitigation/ disaster relief after such an unexpected and unique event for Nashville.