24 Hours of Coverage

I feel a little sorry for some of the news reporters around here. It's been all hands on deck for the flood coverage for the last 24-48 hours. No regular programming. Just floods, shelters, government addresses, rescues and then repeat. It's weird because some of the sports reporters are covering this too. Some are not so experienced with the regular reporting and having a hard time with some of the sadder stories (I'm not talking about you, Joe--I know where you started, buddy! You're rocking those McGavock reports).

It's pretty surreal. Some of the places that were covered in water yesterday are dry today, but all the concrete is smashed up and debris floating everywhere. Other places are dry as they ever were and untouched. While I am still very lucky because we only had a minor leak, I now realize just how lucky because a few of the apartments upstairs from us had the roof cave in from the weight of the water. Some of the residents have already rented U-hauls to get their valuables out while the crews work on it. Others are just pitching their furniture in the dumpster. The Opryland Hotel has its first floor underwater up to about 6 feet and isn't estimated to reopen for MONTHS. It's crazy to think of what mother nature is capable of.

The other thing crazy is just how far people will go to save their belongings. While showing live coverage of an almost entirely submerged house that had caught fire, one of the local stations had a viewer on the phone. Turns out the viewer lived in a house just a block down the street and while his entire basement was under water AND his wife and granddaughter had lost their car while evacuating, he was still not leaving. His biggest concern? Running out of dog food. I love my animals, but I'd evacuate in a heartbeat. They'd just be coming with me!

Tomorrow, I'm heading to Indiana, where I know it's drier. My grandma, affectionally known as Naughty Auda, is in the ICU and it's time I visited her. It's the beauty of living close enough to be able to get there when I need to be. Prayers and good wishes for my grandma!!