Tuesday Midday
From Waverly, Tennessee
The flooding was unimaginable. The water rose in seconds. Babies were swept out of their father's arms. Today, we're serving meals and I need help. Go here to help flood victims, and see below for more details. -- Gary
As I write, our Mercy Chefs team is setting up in the parking lot of a Dollar General that became "ground zero" of this devastating flood when the waters rose in a matter of seconds. Here is that parking lot after the flood hit...
+ + The stories are horrific...
The stories we are hearing are horrific. A mother and a father and their four children -- including 7-month-old twins -- were in the parking lot when the floodwaters came. Tragically, the force of the floodwaters ripped the twins out of their father's arms while he held on to his two other children. The twins perished.
A supplier was bringing goods to the Dollar General when the floods hit. The supplier was trapped in the building with one of the managers of the store, when the glass broke and the manager was sucked away by the waters. The body was found behind the building.
It's hard to imagine the force of the water after a record 17 inches of rain fell. 
Demolished cars and wreckage from homes and buildings are strewn all through the town. The people here said it happened in a matter of minutes. There was no time to seek higher ground.
+ + We are serving meals TODAY
Today, right at the epicenter of the worst of the flooding -- in that same Dollar General parking lot -- Mercy Chefs begins serving meals. Our largest mobile kitchen has arrived from Texas, along with our first truckload of groceries. We'll be feeding search and rescue workers, volunteers and victims of this historic flood starting with lunch and dinner today.
This is precisely the type of situation Mercy Chefs was created for. Our team was one of the first to be here on the ground. We're serving meals TODAY. NOW, I NEED THE HELP OF EVERY MERCY CHEFS FRIEND so we can help bring hope to this devastated community.
Waverly is a small town -- about 4,000 people. Everyone we have spoken with either lost a loved one or knows someone who has died or is missing. 
Yesterday, folks in the community were walking along the river, searching for bodies. The search will be ongoing or some time due to the large piles of debris that have been created by the flood.
Again, it is difficult to describe the level of destruction the flooding has wrought on this community. The wreckage is everywhere. Sadly, search and rescue teams are still working to find those who are unaccounted for.
Today, we have an opportunity to extend love and compassion to this devastated community -- in the form of a hot meal served with great care. Will you help Mercy Chefs as we help Tennessee flood victims? Thanks in advance, and God bless.
Gary LeBlanc, Mercy Chefs
Do you like this page?