‘People have died. People are dying.’ Nashville leaders push NES to release restoration timeline for all customers immediately
What This Story Is About
- Metro leaders are pushing for the Nashville Electric Service to release a timeline for power restoration to all customers immediately.
Why It Matters
- The bulk of the outages started Sunday, January 25, and could last into early February, according to NES.
What Happens Next
- More than 1,000 lineworkers are working to restore power across NES’s service area.
For Context
- TEMA reports that outages peaked at 315,533 during this ice storm statewide. Nashville outages peaked at about 230,000.
NASHVILLE, TN (WSMV) — Metro Nashville leaders are coming together to push the Nashville Electric Service to release a restoration timeline for all customers, as thousands remain without power days after a historic ice storm.
Metro Councilman Jacob Kupin and others are calling on NES to release when they expect all of the service company’s customers to have their power restored.
They urge NES to include minimum and maximum estimates for power restoration.
Related: NES says many will be without power into next week across service area
“People have either gotten their power back on or not and have no concept of what their next week or two weeks might look like. So to me, what I’m calling for is NES to release some sort of a time,” Kupin said.
“What concerns me is that they keep saying they’re working on it. And we’re running out of time to work on it. We’re moving through this disaster. And so that’s why I’ve kind of gotten to the place where I’m just immediately calling for something.”
Gov. Bill Lee also chimed in on the situation, saying that Tennesseans need a clear timeline for power restoration.
WSMV4’s Brendan Tierney spoke with residents who remain uncertain about the continued outages.
“A little uncertain. Just trying to find different places to stay. Just because you can’t stay here because it’s like 38 degrees inside the house, which is not great,” Drew Flaherty of East Nashville said.
“It’s just the uncertainty of what to do during this week. Like when are we going to get power back. Because we kinda haven’t heard anything so that’s unknown at this point.”
The WSMV4 First Alert Weather team is tracking another brutal blast of cold and even a little snow for the Midstate to end the week and through the weekend.
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