NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Friday marked the fifth anniversary of the historic May 2010 floods that affected much of Middle and West Tennessee.
The floods killed nearly two dozen people and caused billions in damages, more than $2 billion in Nashville alone.
Some 17 17 inches of rain came down in Middle and West Tennessee, dumping 13 inches in 36 hours. Before it was all said and done, the Cumberland River swelled to almost 52 feet, 12 feet more than flood stage.
On Friday, the downtown library invited the public to see and hear stories included in its Flood 2010 Collection. The event was held from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Curators and archivists from the library's special collections division spent 18 months in the field after the flood, collecting oral histories from neighbors, volunteers and others who experienced the floods firsthand.
The flood claimed the lives of 24 people in Tennessee – 11 of the deaths occurred in Davidson County. Almost 30,000 volunteers, most from our own area helped those hit hardest.
The Bordeaux area was one of the hardest hit neighborhoods. More than 100 homes were damaged, and it took months for some homeowners to rebuild.
Volunteers were crucial in helping some neighbors rebuild their homes -- and some homeowners continue to be involved in their communities as a way to pay back.
Thousands of homes and businesses were lost, which is why the library wanted to chronicle that dark chapter in Nashville history.
The video presentation was only available Friday, but you can see the hundreds of photos and hear all the audio interviews anytime in the Main Library's Special Collections Center.
For more information about the Nashville Public Library and its Flood 2010 Collection, visit: http://www.library.nashville.org/.
(Copyright 2015 by NewsChannel 5 and The Associated Press.)
