NES won't fully restore Nashville power until Feb. 9, which mayor calls "unacceptable"
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Some Nashvillians will have to wait until Feb. 9 for their power to be restored, according to an NES estimate. Mayor Freddie O'Connell called the pace of progress "unacceptable."
Why it matters: It's already been a grueling wait for thousands of residents. Nearly 50,000 customers still lacked power on Saturday afternoon, and O'Connell's latest statement pressures the utility to speed up.
"Nashvillians deserve better," O'Connell said after the Nashville Electric Service released its first estimate Saturday afternoon. "I've summoned NES leadership to my office [Sunday] for a full briefing to understand what barriers exist to getting power fully restored faster."
Catch up quick: More than 230,000 NES customers lost power due to the record-breaking ice storm. NES returned power to 180,000 customers in the first seven days after the storm.
- Displaced residents have been staying in hotels, short-term rentals and with loved ones since the storm hit.
- NES ratcheted up the number of linemen in the field late in the week. There were over 1,000 linemen working on the relief effort.
Friction point: Gov. Bill Lee, many members of the Metro Council and O'Connell called on NES to release the detailed estimates for the rest of the restorations.
State of play: According to the NES estimates, 100% of its customers will have power on Feb. 9.
- But, one week from now, on Feb. 7, nearly 6,800 customers will still be in the dark.
- The estimate also broke down its restoration timeline by ZIP code. The Antioch, Crieve Hall and Belle Meade areas are estimated to be among the last to have power fully restored, according to the NES estimate.
Zoom in: NES created a new web tool for residents to see the status of their specific outage.
What she's saying: "We understand the overwhelming challenges our customers are facing without knowing when their power will be restored after this unprecedented weather event," NES CEO Teresa Broyles-Aplin said in a statement.
- "We hope that by sharing a targeted timeline and up-to-date estimates for power restoration by ZIP code, customers can plan for alternate accommodations while NES crews continue to repair the system."
Zoom out: The hospitality industry partnered with the Nashville Convention and Visitors Corp. to offer discounted hotel rooms to people displaced by the storm.
- Airbnb is also offering free short-term rentals for Nashville residents affected by disaster.
- Residents can call 211 to be connected to a free space.
Editor's note: This story was updated with comments from Mayor O'Connell.