North Nashville: Cleanup — David Robert Farmerie

For the first several days the North Nashville section had been ignored by the media, and even by many who were donating their money, and services. Most of the emphasis was on East Nashville - the upscale, and trendy part of town with its boutique shops, and upscale restaurants. North Nashville is not that. It is a residential neighborhood that is considered the less-than-upscale part of town. This morning, however, all that had changed.

I arrived near 10:30 a.m. The temperature hovered around 41 degrees F. Dust and debris filled the air, sometimes swirling just a bit in the gusts of wind that remained prevalent throughout the morning.

Cockrill Street, beginning around 11th street, and continuing down as far as the eye can see, was devastated. Each side street, off of Cockrill, is littered with broken trees, downed power lines, furniture, household appliances, broken glass, cars smashed to varying degrees, and the remnants of houses - some with nothing more than a missing, or smashed roof, to those who are missing walls - giving the appearance of the backlot of a movie set.

Trucks and crews from NEC - the electric utility company, line the streets as they replace utility poles, so there is something to attach the power lines to. Until this is accomplished, residents will remain without power - which also means being without heat, as nighttime temperatures, once again, return down into the 20’s.

There is no a word, that I am aware of in the English language, that can adequately describe the devastation of North Nashville. Nor is there an adequate word to describe the coming together of people to help those in need; the two extremes of this situation. I witnessed people from as young as elementary school kids, to those well into their senior years.

On every block there were people walking around with boxes of sandwiches, bag lunches, and even breakfast burritos wrapped in aluminum foil, to be grabbed and eaten by anyone in need of nourishment. And cases upon case of bottled water were stacked throughout each block.

If viewed from high above the scene would appear, I am certain, like a sea of ants busy at work. Volunteers numbered in the hundreds. People from all walks of life, now walked along the same path of life - one of helping those in need. There was no complaining, and there didn’t really seem to be anyone “in charge”. Periodically someone would guide a group of people to a task-at-hand, but aside from that, there were no “bosses”. When people would finish with a task, they would simply move a few feet, or a few blocks, to find another one. No one sat around. No one approached it casually. There was no complaining - even by those who had lost everything.

At Greater Heights Missionary Baptist Church, large aluminum trays of fired catfish were piled high. Off of one of the main highways there was a public parking area with a cardboard sign: “Free Food.” Traffic lights throughout the area were out, but no one tried to cut someone out. Each car respectfully took its turn - as if there was a stop sign present. No horns blared; no one yelled, or gestured - except to wave hello.

What astounded me, almost as much as the devastation, were the houses that remained unscathed. Along 14th street, house after house was damaged - extensively to severely. Then, within 50 feet was a house that had no damage whatsoever; and the one next to it had only minor damage to the siding. It was if there had never been a tornado. To see additional images from the North Nashville cleanup, click here.

_David