"As Tenn. flood toll rises, kin recall 3 couples who perished" by Kristin M. Hall, Associated Press | May 7, 2010
NASHVILLE — One couple was swept away by flood waters while driving to dinner, part of the routine they cherished in retirement. Another retired couple died on the way to church, while a third pair were found in their inundated home. After decades of marriage, the three husbands and three wives died within hours of each other as weekend storms flooded Tennessee and killed 30 in three states.
In Tennessee alone, 20 have died, with the most recent death reported yesterday. Hardest hit was the Nashville area, home to about 1 million people, where record rains flooded hundreds of homes and forced thousands to evacuate.
Many are heading back to work, and power has been restored to most areas as the flood waters recede.
Joseph Formosa Jr., 88, had worked hard all his life in his family’s produce business so he and his wife, Bessie, 78, could live independently and dine out often in retirement. They were driving to dinner Sunday when their car was swept away.
Joseph Formosa III said he called his father Sunday morning, warning him to stay in their house in the neighborhood of Bellevue, where the rising Harpeth River was overflowing.
“Dad in his later years was tremendously hard of hearing and hard-headed, also,’’ he said. “The neighbors seem to think they were just going out to dinner and were impervious to what was going on outside.’’
As those who died are laid to rest, cleaning crews have fanned out across the city to haul away water-stained furniture and debris from the streets.
Mayor Karl Dean said yesterday that the Cumberland River dipped below flood stage a day earlier than expected, going down to 39 1/2 feet. But recovery could take weeks, especially in the city’s iconic country music and tourism industry. Damages are estimated at more than $1 billion.
A DROP in the WAR MACHINE or BANK BAILOUT BUCKET, so to speak.
And the worst may not be over for the region: Rural western Kentucky was bracing for what could be the worst flooding there in 200 years.
After the volcano eruptions, the oil platform, and the tornadoes, these must be God's tears because no one will listen. I know the feeling.
Another 10 people were killed in storms in Kentucky and Mississippi. Authorities are searching for at least four more people missing and feared dead in Tennessee and Kentucky.
Families of the victims say the fast-moving waters flooded homes and roads so quickly that in many cases, there was no time to prepare or escape. Others simply underestimated the danger.
LaVerdia McCullough, emergency preparedness coordinator with the Tennessee Commission on Aging and Disability, said her agency shows elderly people how to make five-day emergency kits containing water and supplies. And experts say they shouldn’t be afraid to ask for help.
Andrew J. England, 79, and his wife, Martha, 82, were found Sunday evening inside their home in west Nashville, believed to be victims of a flash flood. The couple had been married 59 years.
That isn't right.
England retired from South Central Bell and loved to fish and be outdoors, according to an obituary from West Harpeth Funeral Home.
Martha England never learned to drive but could often be seen taking a walk.
Billy Rutledge, 70, and Mary “Frankie’’ Rutledge, 65, were on their way to church Sunday when their car was swept away by flood waters on Harding Road in Nashville. His body was discovered Monday outside a supermarket near their church. His wife’s body was found about a half-mile away.
:-(
Billy Rutledge was a graduate of Vanderbilt University and a Vietnam veteran who served in the US Air Force, according to an obituary from Marshall-Donnelly-Combs Funeral Home.
His wife, a health care administrator, was an animal lover who never turned away a stray.Well?
I can see God wanting some good company as he sifts through war and weather dead.
--more--"
Ever notice all the evil pukes like Rockefeller, Bush, and Kissinger live forever?
Must be the life-extending Israeli theft of Palestinian organs.
That's the only reason I can come up with as to why such evil exists for so long down here.
And the GLOBE'S COVERAGE QUICKLY DRIES UP, too!!
"DRYING OUT -- Nashville residents continued cleaning up yesterday from the recent flooding, and the death toll in Tennessee, Mississippi, and Kentucky rose to 31. The damage for Nashville alone was estimated at $1.5 billion yesterday, but there was some good news, as Grand Ole Opry officials estimated they can restore much of the damage to the iconic country music venue (Boston Globe May 8 2010)."
These guys could find a needle in a haystack -- or more appropriately, a lone kernel of corn in a room full of s*** .
Yeah, I thought something smelled bad.
