As the flood waters recede in Middle Tennessee, the damage left behind is estimated to cost north of one billion dollars. Most country stars have been affected directly by the flood, and they're banding together to help with the relief effort and raise much-needed funds:

--Vince Gill  is rounding up a ton of his friends for a telethon Thursday night on NBC-TV affiliate WSMV.  Keith Urban, Alison Kraus, Darius Rucker, Phil Vassar, Lonestar and Naomi Judd are among the stars scheduled to appear on the program, airing from 7:00 to 10:00 p.m. ET. For those outside the Nashville area, you can tune in online at WSMV.com. Proceeds from the telethon will go to the Red Cross, Salvation Army and Second Harvest Food Bank.

--Reba reportedly donated 100 thousand dollars to the Nashville Red Cross. She encourages everyone else to text REDCROSS to 90999 to make a 10-dollar donation to the flood relief efforts.

--Kenny Chesney appeared on CNN's Anderson Cooper 360 Wednesday night to talk about the massive flooding. He said, "I've never seen anything like it." Kenny was actually out of town when the flood hit, and says, "As I was flying back home, I could see it all from the air, and I couldn't believe it."

Kenny's didn't make it to his own house on one of Nashville's rivers until Wednesday, and he shared video with CNN of his flooded property. Looking at the damage, Kenny said he was numb, but he called attention to all of the people who've lost their lives and homes in the flood.

Kenny also agreed with Anderson Cooper that the national media hasn't paid enough attention to the flooding in Middle Tennessee. He said, "We need the world's help right now, and it's just a really sad thing to see." He encourages everyone to give whatever they can to flood relief efforts because people need the bare essentials like toothbrushes and toothpaste in Nashville.

Anderson Cooper will be in Nashville Thursday night reporting on the flood.  Tim McGraw and Faith Hill  will be joining him for the report.

--Toby Keith is another country superstar facing a near-total loss of his guitars and touring gear, according to CMT.com. He's been overseas on a USO tour for the past week. Vince Gill is also believed to have lost most of his vintage guitar collection, including one that belonged to his late father.

--Chris Young was on hand for the Grand Ole Opry's Tuesday night performance at its former home at Nashville's War Memorial Auditorium. He tells Country Aircheck that the Opry had set up a sign-in sheet for the "First Opry Performance at War Memorial since 1943." "I put my name down at the bottom, 'Chris Young, RCA Recording Artist.' It was just amazing to see something like that." The Grand Ole Opry will go on at the Ryman Auditorium downtown this weekend.

--David Nail returned home from Las Vegas to find his recently-purchased Nashville home heavily damaged by the flood. He posted a message on Twitter, saying, "My entire basement flooded with sewage and water. Hot water heater thrown against the wall...Need all-new everything!"

--Dierks Bentley tweeted a message to his fans letting them know he and his family are OK after water flooded their basement earlier this week. He says, "Looking forward to helping out mid-state Tennessee in future events in any way possible."

--The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum plans to reopen Friday after flooding overtook the basement and a portion of the museum's Ford Theater. None of the exhibits were in danger as a result of the flood.

Text REDCROSS to 90999 for a $10 donation on your cell phone bill that goes directly to helping those in Nashville and surrounding areas devastated by the flooding.

~Vanessa