NARRATOR: Floods took a frightening human toll. Hundreds were killed. Thousands left homeless-- forced to take refuge in tents. The river left no life untouched. Even the lives of children.
Wilma Dykeman
Tennessee Author
Dykeman: "As a matter of fact, the first word I ever said was 'water coming down.' There'd been a little flood on the little stream in front of my house. So I didn't just speak a word, I said 'water coming down.' "
NARRATOR: The rains took a toll on the land as well. Each year, the valley lost tons of precious top soil. Where cotton and corn once thrived, the land now bore the brutal scars of erosion.
