It’s Been a Tough Week in Nashville

Stoney's account of the deadly tornado that touched down in Nashville last Tuesday morning, and tore through the midstate all the way to Putnam County.

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What a week. Truth be told, there’s still apart of me that’s just trying to process everything I’ve seen over the course of the last seven days. Nashville has been home for the entire 33 years of my life. I remember riding around with my parents in East Nashville in 1998 after that tornado ran through town. I remember pitching in with the flood relief efforts in 2010. But, I don’t recall ever seeing something so destructive impact our community in such a surreal and devastating way as I did with the tornado that touched down in North Nashville last Tuesday morning.

For my girlfriend and me, Monday night was any ordinary Monday night. We had dinner together. Watched some Netflix. I wrote some stuff. Went to bed thinking we’d get some heavy storms, but nothing alarming. Thankfully, the emergency messaging system woke me up in the middle of my sleep. Then, I heard the tornado sirens. We’re out here in Hermitage…in an apartment complex near Summit Hospital. We barely had enough time to get our shoes and hoodies on before the power went out and we were clamoring for our “safe spot.” Then, we heard “the train” noise that people often describe as the sound of a tornado rolling through. I stood, frightened and in shock, hoping that the roof would just stay on the building, as it went as quickly as it had come.

I’m incredibly fortunate to have sustained no damage whatsoever, first and foremost. Some stray branches in the parking lot, but that’s it.

I tried to force the thought of what would’ve happened had it been any closer to us out of my mind. Hell, at the time, I thought it must’ve gone through the other side of Hermitage. We had to have been in the clear…I didn’t realize just how close it had hit us.

I couldn’t sleep at all that night. Aside from checking on friends and family, I just wanted the full picture of what the hell had just happened to Nashville. Not to mention, we’re close to I-40 -AND- a police station. I’ve never heard constant sirens like that in my life. I never did go back to sleep – I realized that the morning would probably reveal more damage than we thought at the time, but I wasn’t prepared for just how much damage was caused…and I wasn’t prepared for how close to home it hit.

Half a mile down the road, if that, houses and businesses were flattened.

The next morning, we were still without power, and I estimated we should probably start making plans to crash with family for a bit. Roads were closed all around us as emergency crews tried to assess the situation. I drove out to Gladeville to my mom’s house – figured I could work from there and stay out of the way to let the first responders do their thing. But, around 10AM, she lost internet/cable. I came back to our apartment and realized we were still without power.

That’s when I got ahold of Brandon, who opened his doors to me so I could make sure my day job responsibilities were taken care of. It took me over an hour to get a couple of miles down the road, and that’s when it really hit me how important it was to do my part to keep the roads as clear as possible.

But, seeing Old Hickory Boulevard closed, completely covered in debris, power lines, and those massive metal telephone poles (if that’s even what they actually are) was jarring. Driving home, creeping along a newly reopened Central Pike and seeing insulation clinging to every structure that was still standing…seeing telephone poles bent in half and hanging only by power lines…seeing all of the buildings that were bent, warped, with roofs missing…that was a harrowing experience.

As information continued to trickle out throughout the day, we started to get a clearer picture of the full extent of the damage of this storm. The fatalities. The power outages. It was a tragedy.

For a couple of days, I bounced around between family and friends with three backpacks – one for my day job, one for SoBros stuff, and one full of clothes and toiletries. Thursday evening, power was restored at our apartment and my situation stabilized. With that, I felt like it was time to get involved in the volunteering efforts.

I took some vacation time from the day job and signed up to help out in Donelson. The neighborhood by DCA sustained major damage. I was one of the first ones into the section of the neighborhood I was working in. You couldn’t see grass in some yards they were so covered in debris. I started sorting through the rubble, looking for any personal items that might have sentimental value. I helped a couple of houses clean up fallen trees.

The next day, my girlfriend, Cadbury, Mrs. Cadbury, and I volunteered in Mount Juliet. More of the same – cleaning debris and hauling wood. Seeing structures completely demolished…lives changed forever. It cut pretty deeply. It was definitely an experience I will never forget.

With bruised shoulders rubbed raw, a headache (that I’m sure had nothing to do with being hit in the head with a crowbar), and lungs full of who-knows-what, I took Hands On Nashville up on their request for volunteers to take a day to rest…though, it was as much a mental break as it was a physical one. I didn’t leave the couch on Sunday…and even found it rather difficult to get up and get going yesterday, too.

This is just my experience with this storm. There are thousands upon thousands of stories worse than mine, and even more that are similar to mine. But, this is just mine. I lost track of time. Lost track of which day it was. It felt like the entirety of last week was one long and connected nightmare. I shed a lot of tears in the car in between locations.

But, amidst all the damage, there was still some beauty in the relief effort. Seeing Nashville overwhelmed with love – the bravery of the first responders, the grit and determination of the linemen who were tasked with restoring power, people showing up in droves to help clean up debris and sort supplies, people opening their homes to those displaced, volunteers putting in so much work that some work crews sent half their teams home because the volunteers had already done the job, our favorite restaurants getting out and feeding people, people who couldn’t tote logs or wield a chainsaw opening their wallets to donate. You’re just one quick Google search away from finding some of the inspiring ancillary stories that popped up after this storm.

That is what Nashville is all about. Even in tragedy, we’re reminded of the true spirit of this city and its surrounding areas.

Now, the struggle will be moving on. We’ll continue to rebuild. We’ll continue to be there for those who are hurting…for those who lost…but the emotional toll this last week in Nashville has exacted will always be there. That’s what we’re going to have to work through…but I’m confident that we will continue to be present for each other because it just seems to be the Nashville way.

#NashvilleStrong.

There are plenty of ways you can still help. Keep an eye on Hands On Nashville’s website for updated volunteer opportunities. Donate to The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee. Call and check in with loved ones who were impacted by the tornado. Just be there.

On a “business” note, content was down yesterday and will be today as well. For those that don’t know about my “process,” I usually have articles queued up about two days in advance as long as nothing time-sensitive pops up. There’s a mountain of work to do because I put things on hold for a few days. We’ll get back into a normal routine in the coming days. I just needed some time.

Stoney Keeley is the Editor in Chief of The SoBros Network. He is a strong supporter of Team GSD and #BeBetter. “Big Natural” covers the Tennessee Titans, Nashville, and a whole wealth of nonsense. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley

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