Words cannot describe the tremendous loss that Nashville and the surrounding areas - my lifelong home -- have experienced over the last week. I know all of you reading this have heard by now, but for the sake of memorializing it, on Saturday, May 1st, it began raining. And it rained and rained and rained. It didn't stop raining until Sunday night. By the end of Sunday, several areas around middle Tennessee were completely underwater. By Monday, the Cumberland River had risen so much that it began overpouring its banks. By the end of Monday, a large portion of downtown and the entire Opryland area were also under water. The images are painful to see - especially for those of us who appreciate the lives, property, and memories that were lost in the water. The good news that followed the horrific tragedy was that Nashvillians all rallied around one another with a tremendous outpouring of civility. First responders rescuing citizens from their homes in rafts. Strangers helping other strangers pull what remained (or didn't remain) out of their homes. And Nashvillians cutting their water consumption in half because the reserves were in danger of total depletion. The national media largely ignored us, until they couldn't ignore any longer without seeming completely insensitive. But at the end of the day, that didn't matter. Because we all came together. Because we will always remember what was lost. Because we are a great city. Because We Are Nashville.
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