Dear ,

As we’re hearing the thunder-like sounds of branches going down all over the district, and now that the precipitation has stopped, I wanted to send the best update and info that I could to help as best as possible over the next few days. Today is bringing me back strong memories of the unbelievable Ice Storm of 1994, when much of Nashville went without power for weeks, but I am glad to say we’ve made big improvements since then, and even over the past couple of years, to help preparedness and recovery from events like these. Please see below for the status of progress:

Electricity/NES

The biggest issue, so far, is power outages. Many of us (including me) are without power, with downed lines, broken poles (47 identified, and counting), and damaged distribution circuits scattered over the county. But NES has been working 24/7 on repairs since yesterday, with 160 line workers out in the field, working extended shifts in rough conditions, and another 155 will arrive from partner cities overnight. The biggest question I’ve gotten today is: When will the power be back on? I wish we knew for sure, but with the ice still taking down branches (and powers lines with them) it’s best to say that the weather event isn’t over. But I have visited the NES emergency command center, and these folks are pros. They are working as quickly and effectively as anyone could to restore power everywhere. A couple other quick notes:

• To report an outage, please text OUT to 637797 or call NES at (615) 234-0000. Please do NOT call 911 to report an outage; our first responders have asked me to share that they are overloaded with outage calls and we need to keep those lines open for safety emergencies. However, please DO call 911 to report a downed power line. Always assume a downed line is live and dangerous, report it, and stay away.

• NES will be sharing updates through their Twitter (@NESpower) and Facebook (Nashville Electric Service) accounts in the coming days, so please check there for up-to-date power info.

Roads

With the temperature now back below freezing, and likely to stay there through the week, please do what you can to stay off the roads for now. Our NDOT crews, and our new snow plows, have been treating and clearing roads around the clock since Friday, but we’ve already seen a lot of crashes and issues with downed trees blocking roads causing problems, so please stay safe and help our crews work by staying off the roads if you can. Please see here for our snow/ice-clearing process, including maps of snow removal priority and secondary routes.

Cold Weather Warming Locations

The city is also opening warming locations around town. All fire stations (see here for a map), most MNPD Precincts (although not East), and several Parks Dept. community centers will be open 24/7 until further notice as warming locations for folks who need them. Please see graphic below for all locations and share this info with anyone who needs it:

Please take care of yourselves, and each other. I am saving my device batteries as best as I can to help folks in the district who need it during this weather so please don’t hesitate to reach out at [email protected] or 615-864-0008 if I can help. I am constantly amazed by our community and now is another time when we live what is always true: we’re all in this together. Yours in service, Clay