Birdie: Nashville Flood

I wanted to make sure and update everyone as best as possible about our city and the clean up efforts here. I also figured that this might be a good place to exchange any volunteer opportunities.

I was overwhelmed when I returned to Nashville on Sunday, it continued to rain all day. And then on Monday we were able to start seeing some of the devastation here. I think Monday night is when the extent and seriousness of the damage sunk in for most people. The pictures of the Opry, downtown, the Bellevue area, etc really hit home for me. So I signed up online and made phone calls to some organizations I knew were in need of help. @Nashvillest on twitter have been a HUGE help to all of us trying to find ways to help and @nashflood has been a great resource the last few days. We got some friends together and on Tuesday morning we went over to my friend Jordan's house to help her with her flooded first floor. She let us know that there was an elderly woman down the street named Alice that could use some help. So after a bit we all decided to go check on Alice and see where we could help. Alice had 5ft of water in her house at one point. She is 78, lives alone in a house she has lived in for 42 years, and her husband passed away this past year. After finding the keepsake book from her husbands funeral that was dripping with water we all had a hard time keeping it together. She said to me at one point that she didn't have it in her to start over... not without her husband. Thanks to Jordan we have all taken a vested interest in Miss Alice and are planning on going back daily to continue to help as well as continuing to help Jordan.

That afternoon and evening I went to the Disaster Relief Center in Bellevue and worked intake. People would come in who needed more information, help, and to have their house documented. Filled out a lot of forms and listened to a lot of peoples stories. Was very humbling but most people were just glad to be alive.

Today we went to the Salvation Army to help with breakfast prep and distribution and to help make 4000 sandwiches. We got to distribute breakfast at the Emergency Command Center which basically looked like NASA inside (it was pretty cool). And we met my new favorite person in the world-Eloise. She is a regular volunteer at the Salvation Army-she is a retired Great Grandma and is a spitfire to say the least. We talked about facebook and twitter (she was fully aware of both). She taught us some of the words that they use there so that we could fit in like "canteen" which are the trucks they drive that have kitchens on them, "clamshell" which is what they put hot meals in, and "cambros" which usually house coffee but can also be used for mashed potatoes and such. They need help everyday making food and distributing it... it's a lot of fun and its an immediate need. Let me know if you are available.

I am so impressed with the giving spirit of my town and my friends. People who are desperately wanting to help, friends who have gone above and beyond in helping and showing up when I post opportunities. I have to return to working Thursday-Saturday but i have to have $ to live. :) Would love to hear of any other volunteer requests you know of... the best resource is hon.org which is Hands on Nashville. There are volunteer meet-ups and neighborhood canvasing and opportunities with the Red Cross to help in Shelters.

The biggest thing right now is to CONSERVE water. Limit showers, limit flushing, and using store bought water for cooking, cleaning, brushing teeth, etc. Whatever we can do to make sure we don't run out!

If you live outside of Nashville and would like to put together some items to help... hit me back and I will send you a list of needs and where to send them.

Thanks everyone for all you are doing... I hope that my excessive communication online has not been overwhelming just wanted to make sure that everyone had the information they needed. Don't want anyone to not be able to help because they didn't know who needed it. :)

Posted some pics! Love to you all!