Blackburn Presses Nashville Electric Service on Failure to Adequately Prepare for Winter Storm Fern

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) sent a letter to Nashville Electric Service (NES) President & CEO Teresa Broyles-Aplin demanding accountability for NES' failure to adequately prepare for Winter Storm Fern as thousands of Tennesseans remain without power. Excerpts of the letter are below, and the full letter can be viewed here.

Blackburn: NES' Failure to Adequately Prepare for Winter Storm Fern Puts Tennesseans in Harm's Way

"I am writing to express my concerns with the Nashville Electric Service's handling of Winter Storm Fern. As of this writing, six days after the storm, NES says that about 70,000 homes and businesses remain without power-a situation that is simply unacceptable. NES has publicly stated, 'It's our job at NES to keep the power on, and we will not stop until every household in Nashville has power again.' Yet the failure to adequately prepare for Winter Storm Fern is precisely the reason line crews are working overtime and citizens are clearing limbs and debris at great risk to their own safety to help friends and neighbors. Many customers were falsely notified that their power had been restored due to failures in your automated notification system. After this issue was brought to the attention of NES, customers still were not provided with reliable information during an ongoing emergency, even as metro leaders requested a clear timeline for power restoration."

Blackburn: NES Must Provide a Timeline for Restoration of Service

"Your continued inability to provide a clear message that includes a timeline for people to expect a restoration of service raises serious concerns about preparedness and management. We are grateful to the brave linemen working around the clock in dangerous conditions to restore service to the region. This disruption they are working to correct reflects a failure of leadership and planning, one that could have been mitigated with thoughtful preparation ahead of the storm. You owe your customers transparency, accountability, and a clear explanation of how this breakdown occurred and how you will prevent this from happening in the future."

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