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by Larry Odum - Tuesday, May 25, 2010

May 1, 2010 will be remembered for years to come.  Our community was devastated by more than 15 inches of rain in a 48 hour period. Lives were lost, homes were destroyed and businesses were demolished as the rivers, lakes and streams climbed outside their banks as waters raged throughout our community. The abnormal set in quick and left many powerless and with a a sense of panic.

At Bridgestone Lavergne, it was no different.  I heard the on shift management and security were not very prepared and it appeared no one was in charge of the decision making regarding evacuation, flood precautionary measures and the safety of the employees. I'm not pointing fingers...but further discussions are imperative.

What I did hear was several Union members stepped up and made sure safety and the well being of the membership was top priority. I was proud to hear how a few specific people responded in this crisis which was John Peterson, J.P. Wall, Todd Brown, Rick Phillips, Rodney Phillips and Donnie Grover. These people went well beyond the "call of duty" to assist others during this time. I say "Thank You" for putting a little Solidarity back into our Union.

I know there were more people that helped out and I apologize if I left someone out and these people would not want me to even mention them but they were the names I heard from co-workers as I visited the D-Crew, on their first day back. With each carries a story of its own on how they responded on May 1, 2010 when faced with the flood crisis.

I will say the company responded quickly to recover and get the plant back to operational stage. Several companies, vendors, contractors and workers arrived at Lavergne immediately and began the major cleanup process.  I witnessed the H.R. staff mopping up water, lifting boxes and assisting the move to their temporary office...I'm sure they have a different perspective of the janitorial position in Lavergne.

The truth is we all can share a story about May 1, 2010 wether you were at work or at home. We all have a personal connection where we know someone that was effected by the the flood. I personally witnessed family, friends & strangers offering me a lending hand to cleanup the aftermath of the flood.

The community has joined together and poured out countless acts of kindness and it feels good to see the love surface in this day and time of crime and hate. We heard very little to none about looting and robbing. Something can be said about "The Lord works in mysterious ways."

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