Nashville’s Opryland Among Business Closed by Tennesee Floods

Nashville’s famous Gaylord Opryland Resort, which sits adjacent to the Cumberland River and is protected by levees built to sustain the 100 year flood standard, suffered flood damage in the early hours of Monday, May 3, 2010 as the river rose to levels that have not been seen in the last 50 years and breached the levees.

All guests and employees have been evacuated from the major tourism destination and the resort is currently closed for an indefinite period.

The resort’s owner, Gaylord Entertainment Co., says is too early to determine how long the hotel will be closed but did say “it is reasonable to conclude that the hotel will likely be closed for several months.”

Gaylord said it will assess the damage as soon as possible. The company said it carries business interruption and property insurance associated with flood damage with an aggregate limit of $50 million.

Middle Tennessee and in particular Davidson County, Tennessee has experienced an historic series of storms that resulted in record rainfall followed by widespread flooding.

At about 8:00 p.m. Sunday approximately 1,500 hotel guests and employees were evacuated by by bus to higher ground to a shelter near Gaylord Opryland Resort. This evacuation occurred long before the levees were breached and all the guests and employees of the resort are safe, according to the company.

The company said it will be determining how to arrange for the conventions that are booked for the next several months as well as a remediation plan once the full extent of the damage has been determined.