Overview
- More than 2,700 NES customers were still without power on Feb. 5, down from a peak of over 250,000 after the Jan. 25 ice storm.
- Officials from both parties fault the utility for slow mobilization of crews and equipment and for communications that left some residents wrongly told service was restored.
- NES CEO Teresa Broyles-Aplin called the event the largest outage in the utility’s history, defended ongoing recovery work, and said an after-action review will follow.
- Republican leaders including Sen. Marsha Blackburn and House Speaker Cameron Sexton linked the problems to DEI efforts and tree-trimming policies and urged firings and state oversight, claims Democrats reject as they push resiliency planning.
- Mayor Freddie O’Connell created a Winter Storm Response Commission, FEMA approved $3.75 million in expedited aid, National Guard and out-of-state crews are assisting, and two suspected carbon monoxide deaths were reported.