Flood Remembered on First Anniversary

One year after flood waters devastated much of the midstate, Nashville officials gathered Monday to remember.

Schermherhorn Symphony Hall fell silent as names of the eleven who died in the flood were read.

“…Andrew England. Bessie Formosa. Joseph Formosa…”

Eleven lives, $2 billion in private property damage, 1,500 jobs lost and not expected to return, the statistics of what is gone are substantial. But in closing out the ceremony, Nashville Mayor Karl Dean said what will be remembered are the more than 2,500 volunteers who started the recovery effort before the waters had finished receding.

“This city can accomplish anything, and I mean anything, that we collectively put our hands, hearts and minds to. Because when everything goes wrong and the worst happens, there is no doubt that we can count on each other and that is something to be proud of.”

Local relief agencies continue to offer assistance to flood victims. Some estimate the recovery effort will take another year or so.