Nashville Officials Urge Caution as Ice Storm Leaves About 175,000 Without Power; Warming Centers Open

NASHVILLE — Metro officials warned Saturday that recovery from a severe ice storm will be a multiday effort, saying roughly 175,000 Nashville Electric Service (NES) customers remained without power even after crews restored about 50,000 overnight.

Mayor-led officials briefed media from the Emergency Operations Center and described a citywide response that includes NES line crews and contractors, the Office of Emergency Management (OEM), Metro Nashville Police Department (MMPD), the Department of Emergency Communications (DEC) and the Metro Department of Transportation (NDOT). "It may take several days to get power restored everywhere," the mayor said, urging residents to prioritize safety.

Why it matters: Officials said falling trees and broken limbs continue to bring lines down even after restorations, creating repeated outages and complicating repair pacing. NES said it has nearly doubled its workforce and requested additional contracted crews to speed work. NDOT crews have plowed and salted thousands of lane miles and identified about 800 tree locations citywide that require attention.

Shelters and warming centers: Metro opened multiple 24/7 warming centers across Davidson County, including the Nashville Fairgrounds, Madison Community Center and the Southeast Community Center; the Fairgrounds can accommodate overnight stays and provide food. Mayor's office representatives also said all Nashville Fire Department stations and many MMPD precinct community rooms are available as warming locations for charging devices and short stays. "Pets are allowed to be brought to all warming locations," the mayor said, asking residents to bring carriers when possible.

Transportation and special needs: City officials activated a task force led by Chief John Drake (MMPD) and OEM Chief Will Swan to run a transportation call line for people who need rides to warming centers; officials said details on how to request transport would be released later in the afternoon. OEM told callers the response will account for special needs and translation services through the health department as necessary.

Public-safety operations: Chief Will Swan described the LIP (life safety, incident stabilization, property conservation) approach and said public safety agencies are triaging calls to focus on life-threatening incidents. DEC urged residents to reserve 911 for life-or-death emergencies because the 911 center is experiencing very high call volumes. Non-emergency reports can be filed at hub.nashville.gov.

Restoration strategy and expectations: NES explained it will prioritize restoring major feeders to bring large numbers of customers back online, then work on side-tap lines in neighborhoods. The utility said it is too early to give definitive neighborhood-level ETAs but that as main feeders are repaired it will be able to provide more precise expectations. "When it comes to making plans, there's no good way for us at this moment to say whether you're needing to do something on Tuesday or Wednesday," an NES spokesperson said, advising residents to plan for outages through the week.

Local impacts and shelter use: Officials said they had not received verified reports of storm-related fatalities or hospital system failure; hospitals are coordinating with OEM and have generator capacity where needed. Shelter counts from the previous night included about 50 people at the Fairgrounds, 25 at Madison, and 30 at Southeast; several precinct warming centers also sheltered residents.

How to get help and report outages: Metro advised people to document damage with photos for future recovery assistance. To report an outage NES recommended the website nespower.com or calling (615) 234-0000; the NES phone system remained very busy. Officials also noted WeGo Public Transit was operating limited snow routes (local service) and advised travelers to check status before heading to the airport.

What’s next: Mayor and emergency officials said the city will continue to coordinate with state and federal partners under the mayor's state of emergency to request additional resources as needed and will provide further updates through Metro distribution channels. For press follow-up, Joseph Pleasant at the mayor's office was listed as the contact.