DAVIDSON CO. TENN. (WTVF) — Power outages remain a daily reality for thousands of families across Middle Tennessee, even as snow and ice from last week’s winter storm continue to melt.
Many residents are relying on generators, hotels, or staying with friends and relatives to escape the bitter cold.
In Cheatham County, Gayle and Dewey Puckett said patience has helped them endure days without electricity.
“I’m confident God is going to take care of us anyway, so we just take it one day at a time,” Gayle Puckett said.
With a generator on standby and supplies stocked, the couple said they were prepared to go without power — something they said comes with living on the edge of NES service territory.
“We’re used to it. Every time the wind blew, the lights would go out for a day or two,” Gayle Puckett said.
Despite the outage, the Pucketts said neighbors have stepped up to help one another.
“They check on us every day and see how we’re doing and if we need anything,” Dewey Puckett said.
In Davidson County, frustration appears to be growing.
“It’s frustrating,” said Jim Womack, a West Nashville resident who has been without power for more than a week.
Womack said his family managed as long as they could, but the longer the outage lasts, the more difficult it becomes.
“We managed to keep it as comfortable as possible for as long as possible, but it gets to a point where something as simple as a shower feels like the nicest thing in the world — and you can’t even do that,” Womack said.
He said he’s eager to return home.
“We’re kind of tired of it at this point,” he said.
Still, Womack said he’s grateful to have options during an uncertain time.
“When your options run out — when all you can do is stay in a cold house — that’s when it gets tough,” he said.
Despite the challenges, Womack remains hopeful his power will be restored soon.
“You can get mad, but getting mad only makes you mad — it doesn’t get anything done,” he said.
Back in Cheatham County, the Pucketts are also hopeful power will return by the end of the week. If not, they say they’ll remain patient.
“They’re doing the best they can,” Dewey Puckett said.
NES has added a restoration progress chart to its website showing estimated time ranges for when entire zip codes are expected to be restored. Some of those dates stretch into next week — marking nearly two weeks without power for some residents.
This story was reported by Aaron Cantrell 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.
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