NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Two weeks after a winter storm devastated Nashville, Nashville Electric Service (NES) announced they have restored power to all customers impacted by the historic ice storm.
"We believe we have restored power to all customers impacted by the winter storm," NES officials said.
The announcement marks the end of a massive restoration effort that brought in nearly 2,000 linemen at its peak to restore power to 230,000 customers across the city. An additional 350 vegetation management crews helped remove debris so linemen could make repairs.
"I'm incredibly very proud of hard work, our crews did," an NES official said.
The utility is now demobilizing the thousands of linemen and contractors who responded to Nashville's call for help after the devastating storm. Line workers from across the country are beginning the process of off-loading equipment and clocking out.
While the major restoration effort is complete, some individual households may still be without power as NES works to connect them back to the system.
Throughout the storm response, Nashville's mayor criticized NES for poor communication and slow response, while state lawmakers called for leadership changes at the utility.
NES leadership acknowledged areas that need improvement for future storm responses.
"We've never had to absorb the number of contractors and mutual aid in our process and believe we can do it easier and faster," an NES official said. "We are determined to learn and improve for future storm response."
The utility is evaluating several potential improvements, including more aggressive tree trimming practices and underground power line studies.
"We are evaluating honestly we are reevaluating tree trimming looking at ways that we can we can be more aggressive with tree trimming. We follow best practices in that area but I'm certain there are things we could do different there. We're going to an underground study and see what would it cost. What would it look like if we underground it things in Nashville," an NES official explained.
One observer noted the utility's willingness to examine its response.
"Sounds like they have the right perspective on how to look better next time," they said.
With power restored, Nashville is now shifting focus to recovery efforts. Mayor Freddie O'Connell has been personally involved in cleanup efforts, helping pull branches to the curb.
"We know it's gonna take a minute to get to 100% but I also think we're seeing so much progress we can now launch into a recovery effort and that's what we're doing," O'Connell said.
The mayor emphasized the importance of moving past the physical reminders of the storm's impact.
"Where we can work with our own hands and wheelbarrows and clippers. It's just so good to start to push past the physical signs of the impact of the storm," O'Connell said.
Despite the power restoration milestone, recovery work continues.
"We still have a lot of work to do to make sure people are restored," O'Connell said.
When asked about potential leadership changes at NES, the utility would only say accountability is important and welcomed an after-action review.
Nashville has been under an emergency disaster declaration, which O'Connell anticipates will end soon. For average homeowners, not much will change as the declaration primarily freed up funds to help with response and storm safety. Residents are still advised to document damage and keep receipts.
With the declaration ending, a commission established by the mayor through executive action will begin examining NES's storm preparedness and response, with an initial finding expected in six months.
NES has not yet released the total cost of the weeks-long restoration effort, saying they are still adding up those numbers.
Did you experience extended power outages or have concerns about NES's storm response? Share your experience and thoughts on what improvements are needed by emailing me at Amanda.Roberts@NewsChannel5.com
This story was reported on-air by Amanda Roberts 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.
