Record-Breaking Storm Floods ‘Music City’

16 May 2010

Floodwaters begin to lower last month in Nashville, Tennessee

SHIRLEY GRIFFITH: Welcome to THIS IS AMERICA in VOA Special English. I'm Shirley Griffith.

STEVE EMBER: And I’m Steve Ember. This week on our program, we tell about Nashville, Tennessee, and its efforts to recover from severe flooding.

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SHIRLEY GRIFFITH: The official nickname of Nashville is "Music City, USA." When people think of Nashville, they think of country music. The city is home to the Grand Ole Opry, the Country Music Hall of Fame and many major record companies. But some of these famous places were seriously damaged by severe flooding earlier this month.

Rivers flooded parts of Tennessee after a record-breaking storm. More than thirty centimeters of rain fell on May first and second. The water swelled most of the area’s lakes, small rivers, creeks and streams. Much of that water flowed into the Cumberland River, which flows through Nashville.

On May third, the Cumberland River measured almost sixteen meters, more than three and a half meters above flood stage. This is the highest level since nineteen thirty-seven.

STEVE EMBER: The flooding caught most people by surprise. There were power failures, which made it difficult to warn drivers about flooded streets.

Hundreds of people were rescued by boats from their flooded homes. At least twenty-nine people were killed in Tennessee, Mississippi and Kentucky, either by floodwaters or tornadoes.