Nashville mayor said NES could do better at explaining ice storm response
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A tree collapsed onto power lines in East Nashville. Photo: Kate Dearman/Bloomberg via Getty Images
With tens of thousands of residents still displaced by last weekend's ice storm, Mayor Freddie O'Connell said the Nashville Electric Service could do a better job of explaining its work to restore power.
- O'Connell lauded the utility for quickly fixing about half of the outages, but said he understood anger from the thousands who remain without power.
Why it matters: Nashville residents are living in hotels or at friends' houses, and the mass power outage has no definitive end date, based on information from NES officials.
What he's saying: "The thing we need to change is the ability to offer very quick, community-based information about exactly the status on the ground, the work being done, the conditions, where that work is being done," O'Connell said of the NES response during a media briefing Thursday.
- "This is a historic winter weather event," he added. "A level of ice not seen in 30 years resulted in the largest power outage in NES history."
Between the lines: NES has sent out regular press releases about its recovery results, but residents say the information has been too vague.
- Instead of joining O'Connell and other city officials at the daily press briefing, NES held its own press conference later in the afternoon.
- The department is working on releasing more granular information about its power restoration efforts, per NES.
Zoom in: NES says it increased the number of linemen in the field from about 120 when the storm hit to 1,004 as of Wednesday afternoon.
- "Have restoration efforts gone perfectly? No, not under these unprecedented circumstances with this level of unprecedented damage," NES president and CEO Teresa Broyles-Aplin said.
State of play: O'Connell announced the city is partnering with the United Way and the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee to launch a winter storm recovery fund. Money raised will be used to address food and supplies as well as clean up and debris removal.
- Hotels are offering discounted lodging for residents needing long-term accommodation in partnership with the Nashville Convention and Visitors Corp.
- A coalition of volunteer organizations called VOAD also launched a need tracker where Nashville residents can submit requests for help.