Stories from the April 16, 1998 Tornado

I was in my house in my home office working when the tornado hit on Thursday afternoon of April i6, 1998. I had not heard about the tornado but when I looked out the window and saw trees in my backyard bending to the ground from the impact of the wind, I knew something unusual was happening. My heart pounding, I ran to the down the stairs to the basement. As the tornado passed over, my house did not move. I was deeply grateful that I lived in a house that was built in 1910 and was held up by sturdy cement posts.

After a few minutes when the wind has passed, I came upstairs and went outside. Chaos was everywhere. Power lines and trees were down, porches toppled, roofing shingles on the ground. At first, I did not realize the extent of the damage but as I walked around the neighborhood, (it was impossible to drive anywhere in the neighborhood because power lines lay across the streets), I saw destruction for miles. It finally hit me that East Nashville had experienced a disaster.

We had no power for eight days. This meant no refrigeration, no lights, no electric stove, no heat, except for the gas logs in the living room. We ended up boiling water for soup and tea on the gas logs and sat around them in the evening to stay warm.

We had no telephone (and therefore no internet) for 21 days. Friends from other parts of the city came over to find out how we were doing since they had no other way of reaching us.

On Saturday night, we brought out the battery-powered radio and listened to a Prairie Home Companion. It was the Companion's annual joke show. In the midst of this disaster, we laughed. It lifted our spirits. It made us think about what life used to be like back when people gathered around the radio to listen to the Grand Old Opry, long before television or the internet. One of the gifts of the tornado was that it gave us an appreciation for the simple things in life -- a radio show, warm food, candlelight, a quilt to cuddle under, a roof over our heads.

Many people from all over the city came to help us clean up. I think this is when the renaissance of East Nashville began. So many people came over here from other parts of the city -- many of them had never "crossed the river" -- and they saw our beautiful old houses and experienced East Nashville's spirit of pulling together that came out of the tornado recovery efforts.

I was on the Tornado Recovery Board that brought the RU-DAT (Regional Urban Design Assistance Team) to East Nashville and created the plan for the future of the neighborhood. Experts from around the country came in to help us envision a new East Nashville, the fruits of which we are seeing today.

All in all, as much of a disaster as the tornado of April 16, 1998 was, I think it also gave us blessings. First of all, only one person died, a young man who was outdoors in Centennial Park. We had no deaths or serious injuries in our neighborhood, which is a miracle.

Secondly, I got to know my neighbors. After the tornado, we knew everyone on the block. We all went out with the chain saws and the work gloves. helped clear debris. We planted trees together, we envisioned a new neighborhood together. I will never forget the RU-DAT meeting at the Martha O'Bryan Center where over 400 people from all walks of life who live in East Nashville came together and shared their thoughts and dreams for our neighborhood. I was moved to tears.

Thirdly, the tornado provided the impetus that has resulted in the new East Nashville. The insurance money people got after the tornado made it possible for people to fix up their houses. The RU-DAT gave us a plan for where we want to go. New residents brought us new energy, new businesses, new creativity.

We are no longer Nashville's step-child. Ten years after, we are now the hippest neighborhood in the city, THE place to be. It's been quite a ride getting here....

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