NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — The Winter Storm Response Commission appointed by Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell has launched its interim report on town’s response to the January ice storm.
It discovered issues not simply with Nashville Electric Service, however inside Metro Government itself.
The 20-page report comes six months after O’Connell appointed former Gov. Phil Bredesen and former House Speaker Beth Harwell to steer a overview town’s response to the storm, which left greater than 230,000 prospects with out energy for so long as two weeks.
Metro’s Office of Emergency Management had “clear weaknesses in its preparedness planning,” in response to the report.
Vice Mayor Angie Henderson, who served on the 9-member commission, mentioned the workplace depends extra on institutional information than on written plans.
“That is a little bit more kind of the itty-bitty-city era. You know, call this person, call that person. He’ll make the decision,” Henderson mentioned.
The report additionally discovered that the mass care shelters Metro opened in the course of the storm have been “confused at first.”
Henderson mentioned she wished the shelters had opened sooner and that communication about who they have been open to had been clearer.
“Yes. I wish the communication had been more clear about for whom there were open for,” Henderson mentioned.
The commission recommends hiring a guide to overview tips on how to modernize Metro’s Office of Emergency Management.
The interim report additionally confirmed what NewsChannel 5 Investigates reported months earlier, that NES “delayed requesting and acquiring outside help,” with the biggest wave of outdoor utility crews arriving “8 days after the storm.”
Brandon and Emily Boyce co-own Linewerx Inc., which has a fleet of utility autos that journey the nation restoring energy after storms.
Emails obtained by NewsChannel 5 Investigates present Linewerx had crews close to Nashville after the storm and provided to assist NES, however by no means heard again.
“Their emergency preparedness seemed like they didn’t have a plan of action,” Brandon Boyce mentioned earlier this yr.
“Speaking to them on the phone, they didn’t have a good plan to bring anyone outside their mutual aid in,” Emily Boyce added.
Henderson didn’t maintain again when requested how NES carried out general.
“Um. I would characterize it as pretty poor,” Henderson mentioned.
However, Henderson stopped in need of calling for NES management to be fired.
“I don’t think it’s wise for elected officials to kind of ‘call for heads’ right when something goes wrong, but that went really poorly,” Henderson mentioned.
NES mentioned it’s reviewing the interim report and can add what it could possibly to the work it’s already doing to enhance its emergency preparedness.
Last month, NES introduced that Vice President Brent Baker was faraway from his place and is at the moment consulting with NES.
However, the CEO, Teresa Broyles-Aplin, stays in cost.