Nashville utility scales restoration amid massive ice outages
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Nashville residents faced prolonged outages after Winter Storm Fern struck last weekend. NES mobilized workers and mutual aid, initially deploying 120 company linemen and 40 contractors, then expanding crews to more than 1,000 lineworkers and support personnel, including National Guard members. Outages peaked near 230,000 in the NES service area and 315,533 statewide. By Friday, tens of thousands remained without power, prompting Governor Bill Lee to demand improved communication. NES released targeted zip-code restoration estimates and a My Outage Tracker tool, projecting 85% restoration by Feb. 1 and 99% by Feb. 8. Based on 6 articles reviewed and supporting research.
Prepared by Christopher Adams and reviewed by editorial team.
Timeline of Events
- Winter Storm Fern hits Middle Tennessee, causing widespread ice and outages on Saturday.
- NES reports initial deployment (120 linemen, 40 contractors) and peak Nashville outages near 230,000.
- Mutual aid increases crew counts to more than 1,000 lineworkers; pole repairs begin.
- Governor Bill Lee publicly criticizes NES communication and requests improvement on Jan. 30.
- NES publishes zip-code restoration estimates and launches My Outage Tracker, projecting 99% restoration by Feb. 8.
- Articles Published:
- 6
- Right Leaning:
- 1
- Left Leaning:
- 0
- Neutral:
- 5
- Distribution:
- Left 0%, Center 83%, Right 17%
Mutual aid crews, contracted linemen, and NES operations benefited through increased resources, restored service capacity, and accelerated repairs while vendors received contracted work.
Nashville residents—especially low-income, elderly, and those without temporary accommodations—suffered prolonged power loss, cold exposure, displacement, and increased unexpected expenses.
Coverage of Story:
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From Center
Nashville utility scales restoration amid massive ice outages
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