13 May 2010

FOLLOWING floods that brought devastation to the city of Nashville, Tennessee – as well as causing damage in other states in southern USA – The Salvation Army has provided assistance to thousands of people while also dealing with damage to its own centres. More than 30 people died as floodwaters swept through the states of Tennessee, Mississippi and Kentucky, destroying homes and businesses.

Salvation Army emergency crews from Knoxville and Winchester, Tennessee, and Bowling Green and Madisonville, Kentucky, joined with The Salvation Army in Nashville to provide relief, support and hope in the wake of the historic Nashville flood. The teams are serving the Nashville community in a variety of areas.

Assistance was also provided in Jackson, Antioch, Clarksville and Memphis, all in Tennessee.

In Nashville, Salvation Army personnel worked with local authorities to provide relief to flood victims in their communities. The Office of Emergency Management established information centres in the hardest-hit areas of the city – Bellevue, Coleman and Hadley – and The Salvation Army was on hand at each location to provide food, water and spiritual support.

In addition, The Salvation Army provided the same services for those working at the Office of Emergency Management as well as to emergency responders working out of the Metro Police Department’s Southeast Precinct.

As floodwaters receded, Salvation Army mobile kitchens went directly into the devastated neighbourhoods.

Prayers are requested for the victims of what some are calling a 'thousand year flood'. Twenty-seven counties in Tennessee were declared disaster areas. The mayor estimates the damage in the Nashville area alone to be in the region of $1 billion.

As the floodwaters began to rise in downtown Nashville, a group of anxious men from The Salvation Army’s adult rehabilitation centre (ARC) weighed their options from a staircase overlooking the centre's parking lot.

'We didn’t think it was that serious until we saw this wall of water rushing down the street,' said JaRon Britton, one of the ARC programme’s participants. 'We kept saying that we’d leave when the water reached the railing or when it reached the door, but we really thought it would stop.'

As the hours passed, the water continued to rise and the electricity started to cut out. It became apparent to the men that a decision had to be made. They stuffed their valuables into garbage bags and formulated a plan to lock arms and try to swim out together. 'I knew the water was over my head,' said JaRon. 'I thought I was going to die.'

Just as the men were about to jump into the water a boat appeared. Rescue workers ferried them in groups to higher ground. They were then housed at The Salvation Army’s Magness-Potter Community Center in another part of the city. Remarkably, more than half the men have agreed to a transfer to The Salvation Army’s ARC in Memphis to continue their recovery.

Captain August Pilsbury, Administrator of the Nashville ARC, said: 'It’s a miracle that everyone got out alive and it’s a miracle that so many of them are willing to do whatever it takes to complete their programme.'

When the men gathered for their last meal together before some left for Memphis, it was a sad occasion as many were saying goodbye, but it was also a celebration of their friendships, their rescue and their hope for a new future.

'They can move me to Chattanooga, Knoxville, Memphis, wherever,' said JaRon. 'God has given me a second chance and I’m going to continue what I started.'

The centre itself is completely ruined, with floodwaters inside reaching as high as five feet. Many of the staff are staying in Nashville to begin the work of cleaning and repairing the building, which they hope to have open and functioning in three to four months.

'I don’t know if we’ll see each other again down here,' said one programme participant, 'but one thing I do know is that, because of the ministry of The Salvation Army, we’ll all see each other again in Glory.'

The floods in Nashville have now receded but the recovery operation continues. The Salvation Army, in partnership with state and local authorities, will be targeting 1,200 households for recovery assistance. 'We certainly will not be able to put everything back,' explained Nashville Area Commander Major Rob Vincent, 'but we will seek to help them with their most immediate needs.'

The Salvation Army will continue to provide cleaning supplies, food boxes and comfort kits as well.

'We’re committed to Nashville and to the long-term recovery,' concluded Major Vincent. 'We’re going to continue doing the most good in Nashville with the resources that God has provided for us.'

 

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