Byrdman

Having been to his mother's house on Old Hickory Lake, my suspicion, he has been heavily involved in salvaging property. I hope it's not too bad. I'm sure we will hear from him soon.
 
Having lost one house and a sailboat to a flash flood he, and all in that situation have my deepest sympathies - it is an indescribable mass !
 
My wife ran a convention at the Gaylord Hotel in Nashville which began two weeks ago yesterday and ended a week ago yesterday. All of the venues are now under 8 to 10 feet of Cumberland River water -- as the Yes I Can! kids and many of the other attendees are disabled to some degree it would have been a disaster of the first order to have to evacuate them.

I feel for all of the folks who are subjected to Mother Nature's power.

Bill Uffelman
Las Vegas NV
 
Spoke to Pat & Jeff (C-Pearl) yesterday...they were out on the River having way too much fun. Something about a boat full of women and some tasty beverages.....
 
I just got off the phone with Mike Byrd of Gypsy fame and misfortune....and his and Brenda's home was flooded by ground water. The kids were bailing as the water rushed in. He told me that Pat didn't have any flooding of his home in Clarksville but he was busy getting his boat moved over to Jeff's (C-Peral) dock because someones elses dock had floated up on theirs...at Mt. Juiette. I am sure as soon as things settle down a bit that Patrick will be checking in with details and pictures.
 
We all have fingers crossed and keeping all the Byrd family in our prayers through this hard time of flooding. Looking forward to hearing your news, Pat and Mike and families.
 
Thanks for the calls, emails, PMs and prayers. All is not perfect, but, we are OK.. LAST DANCE RV parking spot under water and garage flooded. Mom's dock lost all 4 spud polls and is holding on by the ramp only. Sister Sandy's dock, got hit with the next neighbors dock, also now off all 6 sud polls, so, I swam out to ALOYSIUS and took off down river with all the trees, docks and stuff to get to the Boathouse at Lone Branch where we have launched for C-Brat gigs.... and...the Boathouse docks were free floating, on the way out to the main channel. We secured them, and I brought the owner back to his home via boat due to road closures. .... and, made it cross river to C-Pear and have been here as an indigent child for a couple of days. Those days spent with us swiming out to my boat, going down river to Old Hickory Lock and Dam looking for neighbors boat, dock and a Sea Do.. Found all but the Sea Do.. Yes, that day on the water was fun, and, we simply reached a point of better to laugh and enjoy life than cry about the losses. So, that is what we did. Mom's home and Sister Sandy had mild water issues and we were way, way lucky. Wind, or 3 more inches would have been real bad. Mom and Sandy evacuated to the Hampton Inn at the interstate here in Mount Juliet. Great folks and they kicked up their food service a bit due to the folks being shipped there, that, were evacuated from the Opryland Hotels.... which, as reported, flooded. Happened so fast that the ladies were not even allowed to go back to their rooms to claim there purses or goods... You talk about mad ladies.... I have not seen brother Mike's home, simply due to our friends Ditty and Ann checking in on them, and, I did not want to swim 100 yards thru stuff just to see it. His dock is still solid. My boat needs to be moved again, as it is exposed to the main channel right now, but, not many options with all ramps under water, no way to get the tow motors to the load areas as they are 6' under water yet... Many of the family business are flooded and inventory destroyed. But, in time, that will work out. No loss of life, so, we just boat ride and help others who are worse off. Got Mom for breakfast at Cracker Barrell and helped with Brigners take care of some carpet issues and other small things. Mom is beat and I hope she gets a good nap today. I truly appreciate all the calls from all the C-Brats, messages come in crazy, and often, phone in baggy as to swim out. I should be able to get back home to Clarksville tonight as main roads "appear" to be clear, but, several surpises still happening. Good Night. Thanks again for the thoughts....
Byrdman
 
Byrdman,

Been thinking about you through this mess. Lots of prayers for yours and all the others in the area for safety.

Harvey
SleepyC :moon
 
Pat- Just a note to let you know that you, your family, and all those affected are in our thoughts and prayers. Sincerely, Dotty and Marty
 
Good wishes sent your way, Pat. Sorry you are having to deal with all this, but from your post it sounds like your attitude is typical Byrdman can-do.

You and yours are in our thoughts,
Jim
 
The Brigner's have been a great help for Mom, me and our family thru this. Interestingly, Jeff and I really got to know each other when working as volunteers thru our Church during the Katrina gig a few years back when we both lived down in Montgomery, Alabama. That got us boating together, and well, that is the rest of the story.

We spent the last few hours yesterday swimming out and tieing ropes around some trees and out to the spud pole mounts on Brigner's dock, that has started now to let loose.

I will meet a new friend today, Bart, who is over and has been over the dock building company that built the new docks for our old time, Old Hickory Marina property...which, is now called Black Jack Cove Marina and Black Pearl Restaurant. Same property on the water, but, their new docks just built in the last couple of years are holding true. So, today we will be moving ALOYSIUS and C-Pearl down river to those docks. May just go to work with Bart and his crew for a while helping folks get docks re-set. Today, only 3 out of 5 docks that we use in our family (including the Brigner's) now need work. My sister Sandy's dock is holding true, and caught Mr. Gamble's dock and they "should" dismount Mr. Gamble's dock today from Sandy's and move it back into the cove as the waters are still high enough to get it back there without taking it apart. Small creek set up rather than a large cove.

Yall please keep my sister Sandy and her husband Ronnie in your prayers. Many of their family business' in the Opryland area were hit hard, some still underwater today with inventory destroyed. The craziness of insurance is just really getting going. The Cumberland River area, Opryland sub-/satellite business area, down town Nashville business area will rebound just fine. Sort of like a giant bear that has been awakended. All these areas are just hard working blue collar families that built the stuff in the first place. 60-75 hour work weeks are what made it all happen anyway, so, things will be fine.

The waters today almost seem "manageable" if you will. I guess what I am really saying, is, they are down enough as to not be rolling over the dams, and now the water gates will soon be being used to "help manage" the discharge of waters out of the Cumberland River area, down into the Land Between the Lake/Lake Barkely/TN/Ohio River areas. You can not just open them up and let it go... as that would destroy even more.

Our family has once again been blessed thru all of this as no homes destroyed. Just some carpet and hard wood floor ( a garage with some of my boat "stuff") is all that we have been hit with other than the docks. My sister Sandy and Ronnie have taken a large inventory hit on their stores. We will be fine and get to work helping others less fortunate. Some of our C-Brats that have used Mom's & Sandy's docks during our C-Brat Cumberland River gigs have asked for an address to send them a card during calls/emails so just use Mom's (her and Sandy share mail anyway. :crook ) Momma Byrd & Sandy/Ronnie, 745 Gambill Cove Road, Mount Juliet, TN 37122

I may need to put of flying out to the NW next week. Will know in a few days.

Gotta go for now and will catch up on returning phone calls during drive times in a day or two.

Thanks again so much for the thoughts, prayers and well wishes. We appreciate it.
 
Byrdman - Happy to hear that you have maintained a positive attitude thru all of your trials. It really is TUFF to do when experiencing a wide spread destruction such as a flood or hurricane.

You mentioned insurance - I saw something on TV (is this a "reputable" source ?) that insurance companies down here paid out 11.5 cents on dollar insured value for claims after hurricane Ike.
 
Many docks have floated past like the one in the second picture. Some with boats still tied to them. I have not talked with anyone that has not had some damage.The rain came down so fast and water raised so rapidly around homes that it came in anywhere it could. Some people have damage taking out carpets on lower floors to others homes are totally submerged. The water damage reminds me of what Pat and I saw in Mississippi after hurricane Katrina.
IMG_1793_1.sized.jpg
Notice the power panel box top on the light post is about even with the water level. Lake level at the time was 451.41' normal level is 445.
IMG_1784_1.sized.jpg
@ 20'X20' dock floating past
 
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