Tennessee Needs Our Help...

Last week, Governor Bill Bredesen requested that fifty-five counties in Tennessee be designated disaster areas. As of today, thirty have now been so designated by federal officials. More than 17,000 people have requested assistance from FEMA and more than $4 million has already been approved for individuals.


The people of Tennesee need our help to rebuild their lives in the wake of these floods. If you would like to help, the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency (TEMA) has a hotline that will accept calls for donations for Tennessee flood victims. The hotline is known as the Tennessee Emergency Donations Hotline. Its hours of operation are from 8am to 8pm daily. The telphone number is (866)589-4483.

Last week, in less than 48 hours, more than 16 inches of rain fell across areas of central Tennessee--what some have called "a thousand-year rain" that destroyed lives and landmarks. The Cumberland River crested nearly 12 feet above flood stage reaching a depth of almost fifty-two feet.

The force of the water obliterated homes and businesses and washed away more than 8,000 crops within the State of Tennessee.

Families are facing many dangers, including: asbestos, lead paint, raw sewage and chemicals as they begin the clean up effort. The Center for Disease Control states that, in addition to the contamination of food and water supplies, there is also risk of disease from misquitos that now have a large breeding ground.

One Nashville resident likened the clean up effort to being in hell--hot, smelly and both gutwrenching and heartwrenching. Nonetheless, he reported that the people there are smiling. Not a smile from joy or happiness--but rather an appreciation that folks are there to help them restore their lives.

In the past week, there has been so much focus no the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico and the attempted terror attack in New York City that the plight of our friends in Tennessee has been overshadowed. We are asking our readers to take a few minutes to call the TEMA hotline and make a donation to help some of these families and schools in their effort to recover from these storms and floods. Or, contact the American Red Cross.