CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Winter storm recovery could take days as freezing temperatures complicate cleanup efforts across Middle Tennessee.
As the region braces for a messy weekend, officials warn that a tough week of recovery may just be beginning. Ice mixing with snow will make the cleanup process particularly challenging for both road crews and power companies.
I want to help you plan ahead, so here are some things to consider:
The Clarksville Street Department will use this color-coded priority map to tackle the busiest roads and emergency routes first during the storm recovery.
"Some of the smaller roadways, it's not that they are any more or less important to the residents or the business owners that have those, but when we're talking about moving public safety and some of that stuff, that's why they're graded the way they are," David Smith said.
The Clarksville Street Department has contractors and heavy machinery on standby, ready to deploy if needed.
CDE Lightband says if power outages occur, their first priority will be restoring electricity to the largest number of customers possible. The utility company describes its approach as essentially a numbers game designed to help as many people as possible.
"We try to have enough crews on our system that we have someone working on all sides of town. Our goal is to reduce everyone's outage to a minimum," Brian Taylor said.
Officials are urging residents to stay home this weekend if possible. This will enable crews to work safely and restore normal conditions more quickly.
Now is the time to ensure you know how to report power outages to your utility company. Besides calling, customers can usually text their power company to report problems. While crews previously had to rely on their own teams to spot outages, customer reports now help them respond even faster.
This story was reported on-air by Hannah McDonald 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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