Death toll rises to 28 in flooding

May 4, 2010 at 12:00a.m.

Associated Press

NASHVILLE, Tenn.

Muddy waters poured over the banks of Nashville’s swollen Cumberland River on Monday, spilling into Music City’s historic downtown streets while rescuers using boats and Jet Skis plucked stranded residents away from their flooded homes as the death toll from the weekend storms climbed to 28 people in three states.

The flash floods caused by record-breaking amounts of rain caught many off-guard, forcing thousands to frantically flee their homes and hotels. The rapidly rising waters led to the deaths of 17 people in Tennessee alone, including 10 in Nashville, and officials feared that the death toll could increase. Officials announced the latest deaths late Monday after receding flood waters revealed six more bodies.

Though the historic Ryman Auditorium — the former home of the Grand Ole Opry — and the recording studios of Music Row were not in immediate danger, parts of other top Nashville tourist spots including the Country Music Hall of Fame and The Grand Ole Opry House were flooded.

“You never think something like this will happen in Nashville,” said Stan Milstead of Tulsa, Okla., as he watched the dark, brown river waters creep deeper into downtown.

Weekend storms dumped more than 13 inches of rain in two days in the Nashville area, leading to a quick rise of the Cumberland River and its tributaries. Authorities closed off streets in downtown Nashville as forecasters predicted the Cumberland would crest there as early as Monday night at about 12 feet above flood stage.

About five miles east of downtown, flooding forced about 1,500 guests from the Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center to evacuate Sunday night to a high school, indefinitely shutting down one of the nation’s largest hotel and convention centers.

Up to 10 feet of water stood in parts of the hotel, as restaurant chairs and crates of wine glasses floated by.