The Harsh (Media) Reality.

6:46pm. May 3rd, 2010.

I just got back to my house from a quick trip to downtown Nashville. I hesitated to take the trip, siting my “stay out of the way” mentality, but finally decided to do it just to remember this piece of history for myself, through my own photos and not other’s.

The thing that sticks with me the most isn’t the water, although seeing the massive flooding at my feet was definitely saddening and shocking. The thing that stirred me was the silence – the eery, empty streets lying in quiet solace, like Nashville let out a calm sigh and sits in peaceful waiting. No horns honking, no bus engines, no music pouring into the streets. It was so quiet I could hear the tinkling chimes on a distant neighbor’s patio. The silence was cut occasionally by a quiet murmur of a spectator, or the hum of a pump working incessantly to remove water from buildings – a seemingly futile attempt at this point.

Peering down 2nd Avenue, the water seemed docile as it cast a beautiful reflection of the buildings it surrounded. The destruction it has caused is still to be seen; the river has crested and the water seems to be receding slowly. But Nashville has a long road ahead.

Photo take with cell phone, looking toward 2nd Ave down a side street....

-sara @ www.harshmedia.com