FAIRVIEW, Tenn. (WYVF) — As ice coated roads across Middle Tennessee, many seniors were told not to leave home and to prepare for the possibility of losing power during the recent winter storm.
William Zimmerman and his wife live at The Pearl Assisted Living in Fairview, where staff began preparing days before the first flake fell.
Some employees moved in, staying for days to ensure meals, medicine and warmth were never interrupted.
"They said, 'We're here to protect you. We're here to take care of you,'" Zimmerman said.
When other assisted living facilities lost power, The Pearl in Williamson County took in evacuees which is something Executive Director Rebecca Tidwell said she's never seen happen before.
Even when the power briefly went out at The Pearl, it didn't stay off long.
But what mattered most had nothing to do with electricity, according to residents.
"There are ordinary people and then there are extraordinary people. And The Pearl showed us the extraordinary," Zimmerman said.
Have you witnessed extraordinary acts of kindness during severe weather in your community? Share your story with Kim Rafferty at kim.rafferty@NewsChannel5.com - we'd love to hear how your neighbors stepped up during challenging times.
In this article, we used artificial intelligence to help us convert a video news report originally written by Kim Rafferty. When using this tool, both Kim and the NewsChannel 5 editorial team verified all the facts in the article to make sure it is fair and accurate before we published it. We care about your trust in us and where you get your news, and using this tool allows us to convert our news coverage into different formats so we can quickly reach you where you like to consume information. It also lets our journalists spend more time looking into your story ideas, listening to you and digging into the stories that matter.
During a week when it seems that frustration is the prevailing sentiment felt across middle Tennessee amid ongoing power outages, Forrest Sanders brings us a story of love, faithfulness and a remarkable family... plus, a little humor on the side. Enjoy!
- Carrie Sharp
