Good morning, Nashville. According to the Tennesseans who have been dealing with FEMA over the past few days, help is arriving surprisingly fast. Tales of two-day application turnarounds, speedy inspectors and quick payments through direct deposit seem to be the norm. FEMA officials were also on-hand last night for two community meetings in Bellevue and Franklin to field questions from the hundreds of folks who attended. As a reminder, eligible folks may apply for FEMA assistance by visiting DisasterAssistance.gov or by calling 1-800-621-3362. Assistance is also available for renters, businesses and nonprofits through the Small Business Administration.

• Crisis hotline available. As we continue to clean this mess up, local mental health officials remind us that there’s an awful lot of mental and emotional stress tied to situations like this. As such, Centerstone has a toll-free crisis hotline set up for anyone needing some help at 1-800-681-7444. It’s open 24/7, run by trained volunteers, and they’re ready to help in any way they can.
• Conservation the “new reality.” Metro Water officials say that conservation will be necessary for “at least another week” because the second water treatment plant is still down for the count. As of yesterday at noon, our reserves were up to 88% and rising, but it’s important that we keep up the hard work. Some of our favorite local restaurants are even leading by example.
• #wearenashville. While times have been tough, many of us have latched onto the We Are Nashville mantra (inspired by this post by our friend Patten at Section303), and the three words seem to have kickstarted a movement. Yesterday, WeAreNashville.org launched as a way to spread the word, build the spirit and hook you guys up with some creative ways to help.
• Bits & pieces. Trailwest, one of the hardest-hit stores on Broadway, expects to reopen in time for CMApocalypse … Some things never change, like the airport being under constant construction … A huge Nashvillest congrats to all our graduates! … While we had our eyes on the rising waters, a tornado touched down in Rivergate … Metro Schools may be back in session, but teachers are still helping students face a ton of challenges … One part of FEMA that you might not have heard about is the unemployment assistance.

Photo by Phillip Riggins.