Kyle Vanden Bosch, the Lions defensive end, happened to be at home in Nashville during the big flood a few weeks ago. He said he and his family were lucky because their house sits on a hill and was spared water damage. He said there were houses half a mile away that had their basements filled.

“Everybody was affected. Because landmarks, the downtown area, the Grand Ole Opry, all that was under water. That affects people directly and indirectly,’’ Vanden Bosch said.

“One of the cool things about Nashville, some of those landmarks and the history -- it’s going to take a while to recover from that. I think everybody’s main concern is the people that didn’t have flood insurance and lost everything.

“One of the neat things about Nashville it’s kind of a small big town and everybody knows each other and is lending a hand helping in relief efforts,’’ Vanden Bosch said.

He lived there while playing for the Tennessee Titans and while he is up here for the offseason program, his family has not moved yet.

Coach Jim Schwartz, who still has a home in Nashville, said it was undamaged too. But he’s talked to a lot of people who weren’t quite as lucky.

“When you talk about hundred-year floods it’s one thing, when you talk about thousand-year floods, that’s pretty significant,’’ Schwartz said. (Follow me on Twitter @PaulaPasche)