The worst flood in 200 years you’re not hearing about

Did you know that Nashville, Tennessee has experienced the worst flood in 200 years, twenty people have died, and many national landmarks have been completely ruined? Probably not, unless you caught it in passing as the media moved on to more “important” news. A few websites have speculated as to why we don’t see more about it in the news:

Unlike what transpired in another southern city hit by a crippling storm a few years back — a city deemed by the media as worthy of ad nauseam coverage — there was no crime spree. In the aftermath of heart-wrenching destruction and chaos, there were zero reports of looting, assault or rape. Oh, and neither the mayor, nor any elected official in either Nashville or Davidson Counties got on national television and shrieked about how it was all Barack Obama’s fault (although the least the President of the United States could’ve done was issue a statement of support). They were too busy actually doing their jobs and fulfilling their responsibilities to the locals who elected them.

 

Funny, but the residents of middle Tennessee bear a striking resemblance to Louisiana’s neighbors, Mississippi and Alabama. Parts of those states were hit just as hard as New Orleans by Hurricane Katrina, yet they barely merited any mention on the nightly news either. And instead of looking for a scapegoat, these American citizens also went to work. Side-by-side, neighbors of all colors, races and creeds rebuilt their homes and their lives. They also had competent governors who executed well-planned disaster recovery procedures, in fulfillment of their obligations and responsibilities as CEOs of a state.  And in stark contrast to the myth perpetrated in the media and in pop culture, southerners proved that they are for the most part, decent, caring, generous folks — not wild-eyed, Bible-thumping, card-carrying KKK racists.

Though the commentary comes from a conservative site, there is a fair amount of truth there. Had the Nashville flood paralleled New Orleans in any of its worse aspects you can bet there would be coverage. Conflict and outrage sells papers and grabs viewer eyeballs. There was a time when the media would also have loved to cover stories of people coming together to minimize the impact of such disasters, but that’s falling out of vogue.

The message here is obvious. Regardless of how important and how beneficial self reliance can be, don’t expect any praise or adulation for it. Those who are prepared will never get any reward for it beyond the benefits of being prepared. But then again, what good is praise if your family is hungry? What good is media coverage if you’re stuck without shelter? What good is a television crew when you’ve lost everything?

No, I suspect that while the Nashville flood is not getting much outside attention, the people of Nashville wouldn’t have it any other way. They’ve got each other, and that’s worth more than millions of viewers on the nightly news. That is what self reliance is all about, really: minimizing the impact of such events to yourself and your family so that you can instead turn out attention outward to helping others.

So here’s to the people of Nashville. You’re a class act all the way. Thank you for showing the rest of us how it’s done.