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NES, Metro departments outline steps after Winter Storm Fern as council demands clearer communications and review
Summary
NES and Metro agencies told a joint council committee they are pursuing communication fixes, customer relief measures and an independent after-action review after an ice storm that left more than 230,000 customers without power; council members urged faster outreach to medically vulnerable residents and transparency on recovery costs.
NASHVILLE — At a specially called joint meeting of the Metro Council's Transportation & Infrastructure and Public Health & Safety committees, leaders from Nashville Electric Service (NES) and Metro departments described the damage and recovery steps after Winter Storm Fern and answered extended questioning from council members about communications and support for medically vulnerable residents.
NES officials said the storm struck the distribution system hardest and drove peak outages affecting more than 230,000 customers across roughly 294 square miles of their 685-square-mile territory. The utility's preliminary damage estimate ranges between $110 million and $140 million, and NES said much of the cost will be labor to replace damaged poles and equipment, including about 800 broken poles reported during the response.
To ease customer hardship, NES announced several immediate measures: suspension of disconnects and late fees through June (company policy implemented by the utility), unlimited payment-arrangement options through December 2026, and a $1 million board donation to the mayor's relief fund. NES also said…
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