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Surviving the 500 Year Flood with Aging Parents

By admin on May 3, 2010 in Main, News

: Image by southerntabitha via Flickr

We just made it through the “500 Year Flood” here in Nashville. It’s been a very rough weekend; probably one of the worst in my life. The Opryland Hotel is flooded and so is the Opry House. The Franklin McDonalds was serving drive-through customers who were in boats, not cars. 130 year weather records were broken and we got about 28 percent of our yearly rainfall in only 36 hours. So much for a dry April.

We were very lucky compared to a lot of people who lost everything. We’re landlords and we only had three flooded basements, plus a few other headaches.

But my parents and I learned some very hard lessons.

1. Don’t keep important papers in the basement.

I know our house has never flooded in the 50 years we’ve lived there, but there’s always a first time. Sunday morning while the water was almost to my knees was not the time to search for my 84-year old Dad’s latest will. (We rescued it just in time)

2. Seven inches of rain in one day will get into your house, no matter what. We discovered the rain had come in through the basement drain in one of our rentals. The good news was that two feet of water went out through the drain at our house overnight, except for a few inches.

3. Turn the gas pilot light off just to be safe. Don’t walk in the basement water if your electricity is off just in case the electricity should suddenly come back on. You could be electrocuted if a faulty wire comes in contact with the water.

4. Water rises extremely fast. Our basement was dry at 8 AM. In less than an hour it was almost up to my knees. People were caught in the flood all over Davidson County because they didn’t realize how fast it can happen. 10 people have died in Nashville.

5. Don’t totally believe flood plain maps. Houses were built in areas that haven’t flooded in 100 years. Some of those houses are now under water. You can’t be too careful with due diligence.

6. Make sure your parents do not take unnecessary chances. An elderly couple drowned in Belle Meade after their car was swept away. They had been on their way to church. Tell your parents to stay home unless they need to evacuate.

7. Your basement or house is taking on water fast. What do you save?

When things started floating in my basement I knew I had to pick and choose quickly what I was going to save. I went for the Heavenly Ham in the basement frig that we were going to have for Sunday dinner. That turned out to be wise since we ended up eating a lot of very good ham sandwiches while the power was off. Sorry to say the 1920′s Victrola with the rare Grand Ole Opry records had to go. I’m not a country fan and it was too heavy.

8. Don’t panic

Instead of worrying think about your next move. We got on the phone with our maintenance man and worked out a plan for him to be first in line to buy a pump Monday morning. He got one that could pump 4000 gallons per hour. He had two of the three basements done by 1 PM. Worry won’t help, but working smart will.

Floods are difficult and can be deadly for you and your aging parents. By planning ahead and learning from others who have been through them, you can avoid a lot of heartache and trouble.

Crazy Flood—Nashville Interstate flood