Crying Foul: Nashville Not a Top News Story?

I was astounded when I watched the TODAY show this morning and instead of seeing stories about the flooding in Tennessee and Kentucky I heard expert after expert talk about the arrest of the suspected terrorist bomber and the Gulf Oil spill. I flipped to the Ealy Show, hoping they’d be covering it. Nope. Same stories.

This afternoon I cruised the websites for both shows. The bomber was the main story, then the oil spill. Couldn’t find the Nashville story on TODAY’s site. MSNBC.com did have it front and center though –albeit with the bomber right next to it.

The oil spill I’ll give you. If the winds shift and bring that oil ashore…shit. Pardon my French, but, yes, it’s going to devastate the fishing and tourist economies all along the coast. That’s thousands of jobs.

The alleged bomber who was caught, however…give me a flipping break! The bomb did not go off. No one was harmed. No businesses or homes were destroyed. It shouldn’t be making the kind of headlines it is given the other situations going on –like the one here where I live!

NASHVILLE’S NEWS

In case you live somewhere that’s not getting a clear picture of what’s happening here, let me break it down for you: it’s a tragedy!

The death toll keeps rising as the waters recede. What started out at 7 grew to 11 and has now hit 29 today.

Why? You know the term “flash flood?” That’s what happened here this weekend. Having never, ever seen the kind of water we got, some people never assumed they’d be in physical danger.

“Oh, it’s just a little bit of water.”

But that little bit of water rose fast in places water had never been before. Some ended up trapped in their cars on roads. Some in homes. Those are the ones now being found. The ones who didn’t think to get out because why would they? So now the death toll could still unfortunately climb a bit more before all is said and done.

Shelters are maxed out. Full neighborhoods have been destroyed. What was it? The 9th Ward in New Orleans that got wiped out by Katrina?

Maybe (hopefully, likely not) the death toll won’t be as high as that, but the property damage exceeds that. It wasn’t just one area, it’s Bellevue, Franklin, Antioch, Centerhille, Clarksville…the list goes on where homes and businesses were swamped. And I’m talking up to the rafters flooded.

And part of it is because they had to release water from the dams. Guess where it went? Wherever it could, which ended up being people’s neighborhoods and homes.

Schools were closed again today. Downtown was shut down today. All of downtown. Yesterday it was just businesses along 1st and 2nd Avenues, but today downtown was without power. It’s also a tourist hot spot.

We’re being asked to conserve water and use only for food prep and drinking because one of our two water treatment facilities was flooded out. Only one’s working now.

It’s bad. Have I made that point yet?

NASHVILLE’S TOURIST ECONOMY FLOODED OUT TOO

I’m trying to be sympathetic and not judge the national media too harshly. The attempted bombing is more immediate to the newscasters who live and work in New York. Of course they’re going to think that’s big news. Just like how I think all this flood damage is big news. I’m right here right now seeing it.

I’m just disappointed because the bomb didn’t go off. The flood bomb here, however, did.

And it’s more than just some homes flooded. Tourism is one of our top economies. If you’ve ever been to the Gaylord Opryland Hotel you know what a massive resort it is. It’s the largest hotel here, not to mention one of the largest in the U.S. It’s a major spoke, if not a hub, in our tourism machinery.

It’s going to be closed down possibly for months. Do you know how much loss of business that is? And all the people who will be out of work from that? Hundreds, if not more like thousands. Because you also have to factor in the Grand Ole Opry and Opry Mills –both of which are next to the hotel and help comprise the Opryland area. There’s no word yet on when either of those will be operational again either. They were also submerged.

Plus there’s all of the other businesses around town that benefit from the large conference crowds the hotel can accommodate. There will be no trickle down effect from all of this. It’s going to have an immediate impact on a variety of businesses and services.

THE EMAIL THAT SPARKED MY RAGE

I was about fit to be tied when I got an email from the Executive Director of Romance Writers of America yesterday. (It was a mass one, not just one to me.) They’re supposed to have their conference at the Gaylord Opryland Hotel in a few months. The hotel issued a press release that they may be closed for several months.

The ED explained how RWA has a contract with Gaylord and it was up to Gaylord to notify RWA if it cannot contractually uphold its end of the contract. Clearly, she doesn’t understand how bad it is here. Nor does she get that the hotel is amazing and part of a large network. I wouldn’t be surprised if they try to change them to another venue for the same date.

I don’t know about that. I’m not affiliated with the hotel. All I know is I wish more people could see what’s happening here. But before that can happen the national news needs to start covering it better.