Public power utilities are continuing to make progress in their power restoration efforts in the wake of Winter Storm Fern.
In Tennessee, Nashville Electric Service reported on the morning of Jan. 27 that teams worked overnight to make repairs and restored power to 104,000 customers.
NES and contracted lineworkers will continue operations in rotations, and they will remain on extended 14–16 hour shifts to ensure we can continue responding quickly.
As of early Tuesday morning, there were about 130,000 customers currently without power and at least 189 broken poles have been reported across its service area.
“We will deploy more than 740 lineworkers across the service area this morning and will add more throughout the day. Vegetation management teams and supplemental contract teams have been deployed to complement our restoration efforts and ensure lineworkers can continue reaching their sites efficiently.”
Yazoo City, Mississippi
Winter Storm Fern brought prolonged freezing temperatures and heavy ice to Yazoo City, significantly impacting the electric system operated by the Public Service Commission of Yazoo City, Miss.
At the height of the storm, approximately half of the system was without power, affecting nearly 2,500 customers, said Dennis McFee, CEO and General Manager of the Public Service Commission of Yazoo City.
Ice accumulation caused repeated outages as falling limbs and trees continued to damage power lines.
In several cases, crews would complete repairs on a main line feeder and restore service, only for additional limbs to fall under the weight of ice and take the same feeder back out, forcing restoration efforts to start over multiple times.
Despite the challenging conditions, PSCYC linemen worked extended hours in hazardous weather to restore power as quickly and safely as possible.
“Some of our linemen worked more than 24 hours straight to immediately make an impact for our customers,” said McFee. “Their dedication, resilience, and commitment to this community were on full display throughout this storm.”
As the storm strained utility resources across the region, PSCYC leadership participated in multiple coordination calls with state and national mutual aid groups to seek additional assistance.
Support was ultimately secured from crews with Clarksdale Public Utilities and Lafayette Utility System, who joined local crews to help accelerate restoration efforts.
Throughout the event, PSCYC provided regular updates to customers through its Facebook page, emphasizing safety, transparency, and progress toward full restoration as crews worked through repeated setbacks caused by ongoing ice and falling debris.
As of the morning of Jan. 27, there were still approximately 800 customers without power and about 1,000 without water.
