Thousands of people in Nashville, Tennessee, are still without power after the devastation left by Winter Storm Fern — and now the city is launching an investigation into why.
On Wednesday, February 4, Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell announced plans to look into how the Nashville Electric Service handled last week’s winter storm. O’Connell issued an executive order for a commission to investigate exactly what went wrong.
“In addition to the requests I made of NES leadership yesterday, I am issuing Executive Order 58, establishing a Commission to Review Preparation and Response to the January 2026 Winter Storm,” O’Connell said. “The commission will have the ability to hold hearings and request the assistance of the Metropolitan Auditor. I have asked the commission to return its initial findings within six months.”
More than 200,000 people lost power
Power outages peaked at 230,000 during the winter storm, News Channel 5 reported. Nashvillians have raised several concerns about NES, including that the city refused help from out-of-town and out-of-state electric companies because they required union rates…