NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Despite enrollment in Nashville Electric Service's Life Support program, the Hill family was without power for nearly a week after the recent ice storm.
"There really was no end in sight. We didn't know what to expect, what to prepare for, and just having to cross our fingers and say our prayers," Elisa Hill, Eden's mother said.
The Life Support program is designed to protect customers who rely on continuous power for life-support equipment, requiring a doctor's note to enroll. However, the program doesn't guarantee priority restoration during widespread outages.
Eden Hill's family experienced this firsthand when their Green Hills home lost power for seven days. Eden, who is 8 years old, was born with congenital heart disease and has since developed pulmonary hypertension. She receives oxygen every night and eats blended food through a feeding tube during meals.
"It can happen like that," Eden's mother said, snapping her fingers to demonstrate how quickly her daughter might need life-saving equipment.
Despite their Life Support status with NES and repeated calls for restoration, the Hill's power wasn't prioritized during the storm.
"Refrigeration is important because I make 24 days at a time, a whole-food blended diet that has really helped her to thrive and get here where she is today," she said.
The family was forced to pay for a hotel so Eden's equipment could be powered safely. While they own a generator, it wasn't the safest option for all her medical equipment.
"We're told that by insurance that if we're out of power for an extended period of time, we go to the emergency department, we get admitted, and with Eden, ICU is the only option," her mother said.
For families without hotel or generator options, hospitals became the only place to find power. Nashville hospitals confirmed that people did arrive during the storm needing power for equipment like oxygen machines.
The Hill family plans to push city leaders to prevent prolonged outages that put medically fragile residents at risk.
"It was disappointing to see it wasn't even a factor as far as I'm aware... on the power restoration," Hill said.
On Tuesday, Metro Council's Health and Transportation Committee members called a special joint meeting to review communication during the winter storm and identify improvements for future emergencies.
Have you or someone you know experienced similar challenges with utility programs during power outages? Share your story with me at hannah.mcdonald@newschannel5.com.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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
