Senators Tour Nashville as Drinking Water Reserves Continue to Drop

Tennessee’s two senators toured downtown Nashville Tuesday, where the Cumberland River is slowly dropping back towards its banks.

Senator Lamar Alexander praised President Barack Obama for what he called a quick response to the flood with a disaster declaration for four counties.

“This is not going to make anyone whole. There are still a lot of people who are hurt and it will take a little while to get on their feet, but we’re going to do our dead level best to make sure the reinforcements are helpful to the mayor and to the governor.”

Governor Phil Bredesen requested disaster status for 52 counties. Senator Bob Corker says those announcements will likely follow in short order.

Officials declined to speculate on the total level of damage.

A key concern now is clean drinking water. Nashville’s reserve supply dropped by half on Tuesday despite repeated pleas for people to conserve tap water. Officials say people are reacting to false rumors of impending shutoff by hoarding water in bathtubs and containers, an act they say only makes the situation more dire.