 Nashville, Tennessee, suffered extensive flooding, especially in areas close to theCumberland River,Mill Creek, andHarpeth River. | |
| Meteorological history | |
|---|---|
| Duration | May 1–7, 2010 |
| Overall effects | |
| Fatalities | 31 dead inTN,KY andMS |
| Damage | $2.3 billion (2010USD)[1] |
| Areas affected | Tennessee, south centralKentucky, northernMississippi |
The2010 Tennessee floods werefloods inMiddleTennessee,West Tennessee, south-central and westernKentucky and northernMississippi areas of theUnited States of America as the result of torrential rains on May 1 and 2, 2010. Floods from these rains affected the area for several days afterwards, resulting in a number of deaths and widespread property damage.[2]
Two-day rain totals in some areas were greater than 19 inches (480 mm).[3] TheCumberland River crested at 51.86 feet (15.81 m) inNashville, a level not seen since 1937, which was before theU.S. Army Corps of Engineers flood control measures were in place. All-time record crests were observed on the Cumberland River atClarksville, theDuck River atCenterville andHurricane Mills, theBuffalo River atLobelville, theHarpeth River atKingston Springs andBellevue, and theRed River atPort Royal.[4]
According to the Memphis Office of the National Weather Service:
A significant weather system brought very heavy rain and severe thunderstorms from Saturday, May 1 through Sunday morning, May 2. A stalled frontal boundary coupled with very moist air streaming northward from the Gulf set the stage for repeated rounds of heavy rainfall. Many locations along the I-40 corridor across western and middle Tennessee reported in excess of 10 to 15 inches, with some locations receiving up to 20 inches according toDoppler weather radar estimates.[5]
Several rainfall records in the Nashville area were broken during the rain event. 13.57 inches (345 mm) fell during the two-day period of May 1–2, doubling the record of 6.68 inches (170 mm) set in September 1979 during the passage of the remnants ofHurricane Frederic. On May 2 alone, 7.25 inches (184 mm) of rain fell, including 7.20 inches (183 mm) during a 12-hour period and 5.57 inches (141 mm) in a 6-hour period, eclipsing records set on September 13, 1979. The event also set a record for wettest May on record, surpassing the record set in May 1983 with 11.84 inches (301 mm).[4][6]
Heavy rain also affected large portions ofArkansas, northern Mississippi and southern Kentucky. In Arkansas, over 5 inches (130 mm) fell in theLittle Rock area, up to 8 inches (200 mm) inWest Memphis and over 10 inches (250 mm) in northeastern Arkansas closer to theMississippi River. Similar amounts were recorded across western and southern Kentucky where over 7 inches (180 mm) fell in theHopkinsville area and up to 4 inches (100 mm) across theMissouri Bootheel. In addition to the heavy rain, moist air and ample instability contributed to the generation ofmultiple tornadoes affecting the same areas, which killed five people: four in Mississippi during the early hours of May 2, and one in Arkansas during the evening of April 30.[7][8]
Twenty-one deaths were recorded in Tennessee, including ten inDavidson County, which includes Nashville.[9] Of the ten dead in Davidson County, "four victims were found in their homes, two were in cars and four were outdoors."[10]
Floods killed six people in northern Mississippi, and four deaths were reported in Kentucky.[11]
Mississippi deaths occurred in the following counties:[12]
At least 30 counties in Tennessee were declared major disaster areas by the federal government, with 52 applying to receive this status. This translates to about 31% of Tennessee being designated a major disaster area.[13]
Almost all schools in the area were closed includingMetropolitan Nashville Public Schools, some for a week or more. Many roads were damaged by water erosion. Interstate 40 west of Nashville had numerous spots that had been inundated. Repair work on I-40 continued for several months.
The first site of major flooding was alongMill Creek in southeastern Davidson County, which was affected by aflash flood on May 1. The creek quickly spilled over its banks, and completely coveredInterstate 24 near Antioch, killing one person in a car. ATDOT traffic camera captured footage of a large portable building being swept away from Lighthouse Christian School and coming to rest among the traffic on I-24, which was broadcast live on local television. Another person was killed along Mill Creek while attempting totube the floodwaters.
Flooding on theCumberland River damaged theGrand Ole Opry House,Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center,Opry Mills,Bridgestone Arena[14] (home toNHL teamNashville Predators), andLP Field (home toNFL teamTennessee Titans) with several feet of water.[15]
Grand Ole Opry performances were moved to other venues in the Nashville area, with theRyman Auditorium serving as the primary venue when available. Other venues hosting the Opry include theWar Memorial Auditorium,TPAC's Andrew Jackson Hall,Nashville Municipal Auditorium, Lipscomb University'sAllen Arena and the Two Rivers Baptist Church. Both the Ryman and War Memorial Auditoriums were previous homes to the Opry. None of these facilities were affected by the floods. The Grand Ole Opry House reopened to much fanfare on September 28, 2010.
The basement flooded inSchermerhorn Symphony Center, causing the destruction of twoSteinway grand concert pianos and one organ valued at$2.5 million.[16]
The common areas of theGaylord Opryland Hotel were destroyed, and parts of the hotel were under 10 feet (3 m) of water at the peak of the floods.[16] It remained closed until November 2010. The studios ofWSM radio, located inside the Gaylord Opryland Hotel, escaped flooding, but became inaccessible during the restoration of the building. This event forced the station to broadcast from a makeshift studio at its transmitter site inBrentwood for six months.[17] WSM's administrative offices next to the Grand Ole Opry House were also completely destroyed and later demolished, resulting in the loss of several priceless documents from the station's history.NeighboringOpry Mills mall was also inundated, and remained closed until March 29, 2012.Flood walls would later be constructed around Gaylord Opryland and the Grand Ole Opry House (but not Opry Mills) to protect those properties from similar future flooding events.
Flooding was reported in a mechanical room of theCountry Music Hall of Fame and Museum, but the exhibits were not damaged.[16]
The playing field, ground level facilities (such as locker rooms), and service entrance ofLP Field were under water.[16]
40 feet (12 m) of water filled the underground parking garage ofThe Pinnacle at Symphony Place, a 417-foot (127 m) tower in downtown that opened in February 2010, less than three months before the flood. Electric and elevator systems housed in the garage were damaged.[18]
InBelle Meade, a neighborhood of Nashville, the ground floor of St. George's Episcopal Church was flooded.[16]
In the early morning of May 4, flooding at aNashville Electric Service substation caused power to go out in the center of the city. Among the buildings that lost electricity was the 617-foot (188 m)AT&T Building, the tallest building in Tennessee. Power was not expected to be restored until Friday, May 7.[19]
The newsroom ofWTVF was flooded and nonoperational for 3 months. Equipment was hastily moved during the flooding and set up at various locations around the building.
The Harrington water treatment plant, one of two in the city, flooded and the other was spared by mere feet; on Monday, May 3 residents were ordered to restrict water use, a situation that lasted for about a month.[20]
The Dry Creek wastewater treatment plant in Madison was flooded with some equipment areas under more than 40 ft of water. Disinfection was quickly restored but recovery efforts required about a month to restore full operation to the major plant processes.
Nashville/Davidson County was declared a Federal Disaster Area on May 4.[21]
According toNashville MayorKarl Dean, damage estimates in Nashville totalled $1.5 billion not including damage to roads and bridges or public buildings, as well as contents inside buildings and residences.[22]
The Duck River at Centerville exceeded its record level by almost 10 feet flooding or destroying homes, roads, and agricultural land. One person in Hickman County died from drowning. Numbers of people who were stranded on I-40 sought refuge inCenterville.
TheCumberland River inClarksville flooded many businesses along the river. Flooded businesses were closed for up to seven weeks. All schools in the Clarksville-Montgomery County School System were closed for at least two weeks.
The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee raised $14 million from individual donors and was allocated in various grants. The Metro Nashville Disaster Response Fund received roughly $3.5 million, the Tennessee Emergency Response Fund around $5.5 million, the River Fund $5 million, and other relief efforts received $234,000.
The River Fund was created with proceeds fromGarth Brooks' December 2010 concerts for flood relief and served the 52 flood-affected counties in Tennessee.
On June 22, 2010, a benefit concert called "Nashville Rising" was held at Bridgestone Arena to raise money for Middle Tennessee flood relief efforts. The concert raised over $2.2 million for flood relief efforts.[23]
American singerTaylor Swift donated $500,000 during a telethon hosted byWSMV.
Media related to2010 Tennessee floods at Wikimedia Commons