May 7, 2010, Nashville, TN., 7:13 a.m., D.S.T.~

Dear Journal~

Wayne Wright here.  I'm afraid I or my family aren't doing very well at this time:  we are now homeless.  Lost everything in the floods that hit nearly one week ago; the waters have gone down, thank God, but the damage has already been done.  Our house was totally destroyed; we could only save a few momentos, clothes, and toys for the kids.  Everything else?  Gone.

We are currently staying one of the Red Cross shelters; the Red Cross is helping us.  They will eventually find a new home for us, but until then, we stay here, where they will continue to feed us and provide for our needs.

We are all in a state of shock.  Never have I, in all my born days, seen so much rain come down, so quick, and so hard!  It was terrifying watching the Cumberland River rise and rise, and see the water spill out into the city; by that time, we were being evacuated to higher ground.  Nashville has been hit hard; even the Grand Ole Opry got flooded.  The tourist industry has been hit hard, and even country stars got hit.  Kenny Chesney's home, as well as Jeannie Seely's homes have been destroyed; they've been deemed "unsalvageable", so they're in the same boat as many Nashvillians at this time.

I wonder about friends' homes:  Louie Sandusky's for one.  They live on a hill, but still, the water got very high; I wonder if they lost their place, too.  She and her family are in Louisiana as of this writing; they plan on leaving tomorrow to come back home here to Tennessee.  She is going to be in for a rude awakening when she sees all the devastation that is still greatly apparent here in Music City, even nearly a week later!  It's going to take months to clean up this mess, and even longer to get the tourist industry back in business.

Right now, there is a bit of silver lining in all of this: people are reaching out to help us get back on our feet, and the Opry continues, even though they got flooded out of the Opry House.  They are now holding their shows at the War Memorial Auditorium; the show goes on!  We are starting to see caravans of trucks come to offer assistance, and the police, fire, EMT's, even the military, are helping out in any way they possibly can.

I don't know when I've cried so much like I have done for the past week.  While I AM grateful my family's survived the flooding, there are those people who lost loved ones, and the death toll could very well go higher if more bodies are discovered.  All I can do for those who did lose friends or loved ones is pray for them.  Oh, and by the way, we lost our church, too.  Totally devastated.  So we will probably be having services in a makeshift tent or empty building until our own church building can be repaired (or unless God finds us a new home -- whichever comes first!).

Even despite the heartbreak and confusion, my health has held out; I'm very grateful for this.  I pray it continues.

Well, I am sorry I have to go (Sarah and the kids are just starting to wake up).  Please keep the prayers coming; we Nashville folk could really use a huge miracle about now!  I'd greatly appreciate it; to see my beloved city in ruins is nothing short of devastating!  God bless and have a good day; keep us in mind when y'all say your prayers!

~Love, your friend in Nashville, Tn., Wayne.  :(