I have been very remiss in not blogging about the terrible flooding that has put the city of Nashville and many other communities in TN and KY under water.  Heavy rain crippled the area last week, but most of the media attention (including mine) was diverted by the oil rig explosion and then the Times Square incident.

As many readers know, I’m a big Country Music fan and PatriotPartner and I frequently attend concerts by our favorite Country singers.  In fact, this will be the second year that we attend the CMA Music Fest (aka – FanFest) in Nashville.  Which makes the stories coming from that city all the more upsetting.

The fact of the matter is that twice as many people have died in the flooding in TN & KY than died in the Deepwater Horizon rig explosion.  That is not to take away from those deaths in the Gulf, but just to point out that we need to pay more attention to what is going on in TN & KY.  Many Americans are suffering and need our help and attention.  The flooding is the single biggest disaster to hit Middle Tennessee since the Civil War.

And the news seems to get worse, not better as the days go by. 

City officials in Nashville say the area’s water supply is now “critically low” after a weekend storm dumped a record 13 inches of rainfall over two days.

Because of potential shortages, the city’s Metro Water Services utility urges residents to cut down on taking showers and is now directing its customers to “use water for drinking and food preparation only.”

The directive comes a day after local authorities reported that at least 10 people are dead from the devastation, including a father and daughter who were swept away by the flood.

Tuesday, President Obama declared four Tennessee counties — Cheatham, Davidson (which includes Nashville), Hickman and Williams — as “major disaster” zones (pdf), clearing the way for federal assistance to help restore the estimated $1 billion worth of damage caused by the flooding.

In addition to shopping malls and beloved Nashville tourist staples (such as the Grand Ole Opry) being submerged in water, at least 50 schools report some type of damage following the heaviest rainfall since Hurricane Fredrick in 1979 (that storm dumped a seemingly small — in comparison — 6.68 inches of rain).

Here is a photo of the flooding of the Grand Ole Opry — the heart and soul of Country Music. 

Finally, here is a heartbreaking video with more photos of the devastating floods in Nashville.  (h/t – SaveOurCountry on Twitter)

Please consider helping out those Americans whose lives have been destroyed and continue to be impacted by the floods.  CLICK HERE TO HELP.

-Bruce (GayPatriot)