Nashville Winter Storm Commission suggests changes for Office of Emergency Management
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Trees and debris cover a Nashville home following the ice storm. Photo: Matt Masters/Anadolu via Getty Images
The Winter Storm Commission called for an external review of the city's Office of Emergency Management after discovering shortcomings in the agency's ice storm response.
Why it matters: The January ice storm tested Nashville's capacity to respond to a sweeping natural disaster. It was the rare emergency that affected every corner of Davidson County, and not just one part of town.
- While most public scrutiny has been directed at Nashville Electric Service, the commission's initial findings indicate the Office of Emergency Management made missteps in the early response to the ice storm.
The big picture: Mayor Freddie O'Connell formed the Winter Storm Commission earlier this year, with former Gov. Phil Bredesen and former House Speaker Beth Harwell at the helm.
- He tasked the group with reviewing the city government's storm response and identifying upgrades.
Zoom in: The commission said it plans to hold back on revealing most of its recommendations until its final report, with one key exception.
- "An external professional review of OEM's structure, emergency management plans, staffing and resources is urgent and warrants a recommendation in this interim report that Metro begin this process immediately," the storm commission said in its report.
Between the lines: The report lauds OEM for performing "well under great pressure," but also found the department "bears much of the responsibility for over-reliance on personal relationships and the evident weakness in formal standards and procedures."
- The report was especially critical of OEM's "mass care capabilities," finding its management of the safety shelters during the early days of the ice storm was "confused at first."
- "OEM needs further evaluation of sheltering doctrine, staffing models, surge capability, shelter infrastructure support, and organizational responsibilities," according to the report.
Friction point: The commission singled out OEM for not being an accredited emergency management organization under the Emergency Management Accreditation Program.
- The Tennessee Emergency Management Agency and Williamson County's department are accredited, as are sister cities like Denver, Austin and Seattle, but Nashville is not.
- The commission recommended that OEM pursue accreditation.
Zoom out: The commission complimented NES for hiring an outside consultant to review its storm response. NES vowed to upgrade its communications, technology and power restoration estimates in response to its own review of its ice storm response.
What he's saying: "Our goal in creating this commission was to get an honest assessment of our whole of government and key partner performance to ensure that we will be even better positioned to serve Nashvillians when the next disaster strikes," O'Connell said in a statement, adding he is ready to get to work at addressing the interim report's findings.
What's next: The full report and recommendations will be released later this year.