Tea partiers: Help rescue drowning Nashville

Teens cling to a Jeep as flood waters overtake the vehicle (photo: Tennessean, Rick Murray)

Tea partiers are calling on fellow Americans to help Tennessee residents recover from a devastating flood that left the city under water in one of the worst floods in Nashville history and killed more than 30 people in three states.

Tea Party Nation, based just outside of Nashville, is urging patriots to come to the aid of residents who have lost their homes, loved ones, pets and belongings.

"The tea-party movement talks about government and taxes and spending," President Judson Phillips told WND. "I know those things are all a central core of our mission, but what are members of the tea party about? We're about people who love this country and love our neighbors."

Phillips added, "We believe that the private sector can always do better than the public sector. This is a time when Americans must come together to help their fellow Americans."

The following video posted on YouTube shows some of the wreckage and devastation from the flood:

Tea Party Nation has listed three organizations that are collecting online donations and is asking Americans to contribute to the response effort:

American Red Cross, Nashville chapter

Hands on Nashville

Second Harvest

Debris and cars pile upafter flooding. (photo: Tennessean, Shelley Mays)

It started raining in Nashville April 30, and within 48 hours, the city received nearly 14 inches of rain – twice the previous rainfall record and the same amount Nashville typically receives during the entire month of May. Mayor Karl Dean said the cost of the damage is expected to top $1 billion in Nashville alone.

Interior of Opryland Hotel, site of first national tea-party convention, under 10-15 feet of water (photo: Tennessean, John Partipilo)

Downtown Nashville flooded, and the Opryland hotel – the site of the first national tea-party convention last February – has been devastated by flood waters. At least 1,500 guests have been displaced.

Loading dock at Opryland Hotel. Electric generators spilled diesel fuel into the flood waters. (photo: Tennessean, John Partipilo)

"Some people have been calling this Nashville's Katrina," Phillips said. "There were a lot of places that were evacuated, but everything seems to be very orderly. I think one of the reasons we're not getting the press that New Orleans received is because we've had little to no looting down here. There are no photos of people dragging out big-screen TVs out of destroyed shops. It just hasn't happened."

Neighbors help Janie Cramen to an ambulance with her oxygen tank after a boat rescue from her West Nashville home Sunday. (photo: Tennessean, Shelley Mays)

Phillips said residents have been working to rescue neighbors and help them recover.

"A lot of people have gathered together and helped people out," he said. "People who couldn't get out were helped by their neighbors. It's a shame what's happened here, but the response among the people here in Nashville has been America at its finest."

Phillips said his friends have been helping Catholic widows in Bellevue whose homes had been destroyed in the flood.

"These ladies have nothing," he said. "Their homes are just wrecked and probably uninhabitable. FEMA will give them a low-interest loan, but if you're already maxed out on your loan as it is, a low-interest loan isn't going to help you. There are a lot of people who have lost all their belongings and who are probably going to lose their houses because they cannot be repaired."

A homeless encampment along the Cumberland River was wiped out, and while the Tennessee death toll is currently at 21, Judson said more victims may be found as the city dries out.

"There will probably be some bodies found from homeless encampment, although God knows where they'll be found," he added. "There are parts where literally the houses were under water. There will probably be some more found there."

Many flood survivors are staying in shelters, and several places are still surrounded by water. In Franklin, 20 miles outside Nashville, sewers overflowed and wads of toilet paper could be seen scattered across the ground. Phillips said the Bellevue section of Nashville received much of the damage.

Pennington Bend by Opryland on May 3. (Tennessean, Samuel Simpkins)

"A lot of these people – probably even the majority of people – did not have flood insurance," he said. "In fact, a lot of them were told they couldn't get flood insurance."

President Obama has declared the region a federal disaster area eligible for aid. Roadway repairs and debris disposal operations began today. Nashville Urban Search and Rescue has deployed a task force of more than 100 firefighters and police officers to assist people in their homes.

Tea Party Nation is asking Americans to reach out in any way they can.

"Part of our core beliefs, as members of the tea party, is to help our fellow countrymen," he said. "I know the economy is tough right now. But we all need to step up. Even $5 or $10 helps."