Winter storm week 2: Challenges linger and some school districts remain closed

For the latest storm updates, please click to this post updated on Friday.

Winter Storm Fern has created lingering challenges for residents, city leaders and emergency workers in Tennessee. Power outages reached historic levels, especially in Nashville, and the death toll has climbed. Here’s the latest from WPLN at 5 p.m. on Wednesday.

By the numbers (5 p.m. Wednesday)

• about 7,000 outages in Nashville
• 32 water utilities in the state report issues related to weather; 17 have boil water advisories
• 15 active and possible water main breaks in Nashville
• 25 winter storm-related deaths confirmed statewide by Tennessee Department of Health
• Four confirmed deaths in Nashville and a fifth believed linked to the cold weather
• One additional death is related to a separate weather event this weekend in East Tennessee
• Cheatham, Montgomery and Robertson county schools were still closed Wednesday 

Reported earlier

Storm review commission created

Nashville’s mayor is elevating his call for accountability for Nashville Electric Service. Mayor Freddie O’Connell issued an executive order to create a commission that will review the city’s storm preparation and response.

O’Connell said the commission will have nine members, including seven community leaders and experts in utilities and emergency communications. The commission will also be able to tap Metro’s auditor for assistance and hold hearings.

“They’ll have investigative powers, including the ability to compel the attendance of witnesses and the production of records pertinent to the investigation of any hearing, and to administer oaths to witnesses,” O’Connell said.

The commission will be required to deliver its findings within six months.

Metro students head back to class

Kids in Nashville will return to school on Tuesday.

Last week’s ice storm left more than 70 school buildings without power. Metro Nashville Public Schools Superintendent Adrienne Battle thanked NES linemen for working around the clock to restore electricity.

While most schools had gotten power back by Monday, a spokesperson said part of the delay in reopening schools was having to re-acclimate large buildings after going so long without heat.

The district said when students return to class, all schools will be safe and warm. Staff returned Monday to check on their classrooms and prepare to welcome students back.

With Monday’s closure, MNPS is out of its allotted inclement weather days. Battle said if bad weather strikes again, the district would likely pivot to a remote learning day.

“However, as we experienced this past week, widespread power outages can make remote learning infeasible,” Battle said. “In those circumstances, we may need to request a waiver from the state to avoid extending the school year.”

Meanwhile, nearby Cheatham and Sumner County Schools will be closed once again Tuesday.

Extra food aid makes up for storm losses

Tennesseans who receive benefits from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, could get help replacing food that spoiled because of the storm. The Tennessee Department of Human Services is prepared to offer make-up funds for people who lost food because of a power outage lasting 12 hours or more or because of a household misfortune.

Applicants will need to create an account on the TDHS website and submit a signed affidavit estimating the value of the food lost. That value cannot exceed the monthly SNAP allotment. And time is of the essence. TDHS says the affidavit must be submitted within 10 days of the food loss.

Once approved, replacement funds will be loaded onto recipients’ EBT cards.

Attention shifts to water main breaks

More water pipes are expected to burst across Nashville this week as the city thaws out from the ice storm.

Soils are shifting from the bloat and contraction. That moderate ground movement can break water pipes whether they’re old or new.

Brent Freeman, deputy director of Metro Water Services, said that people should expect more impacts this week.

“As the temperatures rise for us, the emergency is not over. In fact, as the ground shifts, we anticipate an increase in the number of water main breaks,” Freeman said.

The city was dealing with more than 18 active and possible water main breaks at 8 a.m. Tuesday.

Since the start of the ice storm, Dodd said the city has received 15,000 calls related to water. The city has already fixed 70 water main breaks, and has issued a thousand work orders for what he called water meter work.

He said the city has enough capacity to quickly respond to pipe breaks as they happen.

NES takes heat from public and city officials

There has been increasing scrutiny of Nashville Electric Service, even as the utility tries to improve progress in restoring power to customers and improve communications. On Saturday night, President & CEO Teresa Broyles Aplin posted a video statement on Facebook, providing an update of power restoration progress. She says 90% of outages will be restored by Tuesday and 99% by Sunday, February 8th.

Broyles touts NES’ new website tool that lets customers track the status of outages, where work is happening, and when power will be restored. She also addresses the delays.

“First we had to rebuild some key infrastructure which had been severely damaged across the entire service area,” Broyles says in the video. “We cannot provide any specific projections before these repairs were made. Secondly, we had to do a street by street review to understand the impact of downed lines and poles and what it would take to bring each area back.”

The video was released shortly after Mayor Freddie O’Connell issued a statement saying the “…proposed pace of restoration is unacceptable..” and summoning NES leaders to meet with him today for a briefing.

Several members of Metro Council signed a letter criticizing the utility and calling for a revision to its new zip-code based power restoration plan, which they say is misleading. Council member Joy Styles, a mayoral candidate, also criticized NES during a news conference on Sunday morning.

“People must be held accountable for these mishaps and mistakes,” Styles said. “We are losing lives: 21 deaths yesterday we have had so far; families that are grieving, that shouldn’t have to be right now. And to those families, I say ‘we are sorry. We dropped the ball.’

A special called meeting between Metro Council and NES is scheduled for Sunday night.

Relief fund and emergency housing sees high demand

City leaders set up the “Winter Storm Relief Fund” on January 29th for people to apply by calling 211 for needs ranging from food, supplies, temporary housing and debris cleanup. The fund is a partnership between United Way, the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee and Volunteer Organizations Active in Disaster and had more than $570,000 in donations as of Sunday.

However, a separate program offering discounted or free lodging deals from hotels and short-term rental websites is at capacity and is no longer being offered, according to a spokesperson at United Way of Greater Nashville.

Additional aid includes four city-run overnight shelters — where roughly 400 people have been sleeping each night in the last week.

Tennessee Emergency Management Update and Increased Scams

TEMA is asking anyone whose home has been impacted by Winter Storm Fern to complete a survey to report any damages. The survey helps the state better understand the types and extent of damage Tennesseans are experiencing so assistance can be directed where it is needed most.

The agency issued an alert about an uptick in scams. Residents report receiving text messages, phone calls, and emails falsely claiming to be from TBI and 1-800-TBI-FIND in relationship to the winter storm. They warn that TBI will never ask for money or financial account information at the hotline.

A real-time map and dashboard of impacted water systems in the state has been created by The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation.

Lives lost in Nashville and statewide

Four deaths have been confirmed in Nashville related to winter storm impacts.  A fifth fatality is believed to be linked to weather and being investigated by the Medical Examiner.

These are the people who have died in Davidson County:

• Francis Pilkington, 93, who fell inside an assisted living facility
• Sharon Conyers, 46, who fell down a hill near Lindell and Wedgewood avenues
• Almaquio Martinez Olivera, 39, who is suspected to have suffered carbon monoxide poisoning from a generator
• James Mitchell, 92, who was near a generator
• Betty Doss, 79, died in her Madison home, which had no power or heat (pending Medical Examiner report)

There have been at least 25 deaths across the state related to Winter Storm Fern, according to the Tennessee Department of Health.  And another death is confirmed to be related to a separate winter weather event on Friday in East Tennessee.

Several are related to carbon monoxide from portable backup generators used to provide power. Health officials issued warnings, including:

• Never use a generator inside your home or garage even with the windows and doors are open.
• Only use generators outside, more than 20 feet away from your home, doors, and windows.

Carbon monoxide poisoning hospitalizes dozens in Tennessee winter storm

Seeking federal help

Governor Bill Lee has requested that President Donald Trump grant an Expedited Major Disaster Declaration for 23 Tennessee counties recovering from the winter storm. Lee says he’s hopeful Trump will issue the declaration quickly.

Lee asked for the Federal Emergency Management Agency to provide both Public Assistance and Individual Assistance. The former would reimburse state and local governments and some nonprofits for their recovery work and infrastructure repairs. The latter would go directly to Tennesseans to help with the costs of temporary housing, home repairs and other expenses not covered by insurance.

George Walker IV AP Photo

A linesman with the Nashville Electric Service is seen through an ice covered tree as he works to restore power Wednesday.

Correction: A previous version of this story misattributed a comment to a Metro official. Metro Water Services Deputy Director Brent Freeman discussed water main breaks and repairs on Monday.