Nashville mayor, customers express frustration with new NES power restoration timeline

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WSMV) — Saturday, the Nashville Electric Service released a long-awaited timeline detailing how long they think it will take to get power fully restored to all of their customers.

It’s something Nashvillians, city and state leaders have been asking for since more than 200,000 customers lost power on Sunday.

But now that they have the timeline, many customers and local leaders aren’t satisfied.

“That’s like, in some places, 15 days of people not having power,” said NES customer Crystal Hester. “I don’t even know what they could say at this point to save face.”

Hester lost power on Sunday, January 25, and has been in the dark, in more ways than one, for the last six days.

“You would call to get through to NES and you would be on hold for 50, 60, 70 minutes at a time, and then you still couldn’t get through,” Hester said.

Related: NES shares estimate on restoration timeline as thousands remain without power

Latest: TN hit with second Arctic blast as thousands remain without power after deadly winter storm

Hester got power back at her Goodlettsville home on Friday, but come Saturday, it was out again. Now, going by NES’s new timeline, she says it could be another six days before she has light and heat again.

“Something else has to give because it should not be happening the way it is,” she said. “There should not be people dying in their home that are freezing to death.”

Since Winter Storm Fern first rolled through Tennessee, state officials with the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency said they have confirmed three weather-related deaths in Davidson County alone. Metro Nashville Police say they believe two additional deaths will also be found to be related to the weather.

At a press conference on Saturday, Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell said again that he has not been satisfied with NES’s response to the storm and power restoration.

Following the press conference, O’Connell released a statement about the new restoration timeline:

“For the first time since the start of this recovery, NES today released a timeline for full restoration of power in our community. This afternoon, I spoke with NES CEO Teresa Broyles-Aplin and Board Chair Anne Davis and expressed to both that the proposed pace of restoration is unacceptable. Nashvillians deserve better. I’ve summoned NES leadership to my office tomorrow for a full briefing to understand what barriers exist to getting power fully restored faster. I have continued to commit the full force of the Metro government and partners beyond Metro to assist NES. If there are other resources NES needs or barriers we can clear for them, I expect a quick assessment from NES so we can resource them swiftly and with precision.

Nashvillians are justifiably angry. It is critical to the life, safety, and wellbeing of our residents that NES use every tool at their disposal to increase the pace, improve communication, and get Nashvillians’ power back on.”

NES CEO Teresa Broyles-Aplin thanked customers for their patience in a statement that came with the release of the timelines:

“We understand the overwhelming challenges our customers are facing without knowing when their power will be restored after this unprecedented weather event. 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. We appreciate the patience of our entire community as we work to use every possible resource to bring the power back for everyone.”

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