A few weeks ago, I wrote a diary about my family losing our home in the Nashville Flood. Several people said that they would like to be kept updated as to what was going on...so this is an update.
First off, let me say a big "Thank You" to everyone here who has given me things or sent me things...they are all very much appreciated! Thanks to all who offered help and prayers and well wishes and encouragement.
We are doing better each day, in every aspect. We have a check from FEMA to cover living expenses. We had to move into an apartment, but still continue to have a house payment. Without FEMA we couldn't pay both, because it's basically 2 house payments. As you know, apartments are small and expensive.
My wife went to Target and got some "normal" things for the apartment, like shower curtains & bath mats. It's nice for the apartment to not look like a motel room anymore. Now if we could get rid of the wretched cigarette smoke smell left over from the previous tenant, we'd be in business!
My teenaged daughter has been wonderful. She helped clean out the flooded house and never once moaned or complained. She lost a lot of her fun teenaged stuff like her Playstaion & games and things like that. She was sad about it, but didn't dwell on it. She was just glad all the pets were safe.
Our cats have settled into their new home with one of my daughter's friends. But we are having to "translate" for their new owners what certain things mean. You know how animals have their way of communicating their needs or wants...well their temporary family still hasn't figued out all the proper signals yet!
Our dog is going to his new temporary home today. He has been with a family in our neighborhood that didn't get flooded, but that was just so we could walk him over there without having to take him on an extended car trip. That home wasn't going to be long-term. He's a Border Collie & not fond of cars. But today he will be going one city over to his new-temporary home.
The City of Nashville, the State of Tennessee and FEMA are talking about a joint-program where they pretty much pay us to leave. They are talking about offering us the pre-flood value of our homes, so we can pay off our bank notes and take whatever is left and move on. It's a volunteer program and no one is required to take it, but many of us (including our family) want to take it. If you take that deal, then the city will never allow anything to ever be built there again...no house or business or apartment.
The trouble with this program is that 3 types of government are involved in making the decisions & you get into many levels of stupidity of people who want to "be in charge" or "take credit" for this and the people who are 100% against it and don't want to touch the idea with a 10-foot-pole.
In order to participate in this program, we have to do a lot of things like get with contractors, get permits, have estimates on rebuliding done (even if you don't want to rebulid)...etc. But as far as getting on with our lives, the "Buy-Out-Program" as they are calling it, could take as much as 10 months. I figure it will take longer. We can wait.
Thanks again to everyone who has helped in any way!
Hands on Nashville
The Nashville Humane Association
200 Pictures of the Flood
A bunch of flood videos.