NASHVILLE, Tenn (WTVF) — Tens of thousands of residents in Middle Tennessee found themselves without electricity for hours after powerful storms ripped through the area on Friday night.
However, for some unfortunate individuals, their ordeal extended beyond a few hours and turned into days without power.
The severe weather unleashed heavy rain, strong winds, and intense thunder and lightning, wreaking havoc on the power infrastructure across the region.
Corey Conley, a resident of East Nashville, experienced the immediate impact of the storm while he was on his back porch.
"I was stepping outside on my porch and checked on the weather, you know the clouds were coming in. It was kind of getting breezy, not super windy, not even rainy yet. Suddenly you hear a crash to my left and this tree over here to my left, the limb fell then I look over to my right, and there’s a shower of sparks coming off my house."
In an instant, Conley and his family were plunged into darkness, joining the ranks of more than 30,000 Nashville Electric Service (NES) customers who were affected by the widespread power outage.
As hours turned into days, the situation became increasingly dire. Even by Monday morning, approximately two thousand NES customers remained without power.
Conley shared the difficulties his family faced during this trying period, stating, "We've been fortunate we all piled into one room and had the little air conditioner going and just sort of making do day by day."
While Conley's family was fortunate enough to have access to a generator, he acknowledged that not everyone had the luxury of such backup power sources.
He said he was surprised at the fact that people were still enduring the darkness on Monday morning, even after more than 60 hours since the storm struck.
"It's been tough. It's been the longest I've ever gone without electricity," Conley said.
NES crews worked tirelessly to restore power to the affected areas, and on Monday afternoon, they arrived at Conley's residence to bring back electricity.
NES urged its customers to promptly notify them if their power remained out, particularly if they had previously been informed that service had been restored.
It could mean that there is additional damage to the equipment that NES can assess.
