Water supply in Nashville ‘critically low’ after record rainfall
By Lee Hill City officials in Nashville say the area’s water supply is now “critically low” after a weekend storm dumped a record 13 inches of rainfall over two days. Because of potential shortages, the city’s Metro Water Services utility urges residents to cut down on taking showers and is now directing its customers to “use water for drinking and food preparation only.” The directive comes a day after local authorities reported that at least 10 people are dead from the devastation, including a father and daughter who were swept away by the flood. Tuesday, President Obama declared four Tennessee counties — Cheatham, Davidson (which includes Nashville), Hickman and Williams — as “major disaster” zones (pdf), clearing the way for federal assistance to help restore the estimated $1 billion worth of damage caused by the flooding. In addition to shopping malls and beloved Nashville tourist staples (such as the Grand Ole Opry) being submerged in water, at least 50 schools report some type of damage following the heaviest rainfall since Hurricane Fredrick in 1979 (that storm dumped a seemingly small — in comparison — 6.68 inches of rain). …
