Standing on the Corner...

Life is still on pause in Nashville as storm recovery efforts continue.

From Davis Hunt

⚡️ Power Levels As of this writing, the NES power outage map shows 90,653 customers without power. That’s 17,445 fewer customers than yesterday. About 19 percent of the city remains powerless. Everything state and city government related remains on pause or remote, including public schools.

One reader pointed out that the scale of the outage might be obscured by referring to outages by “customer” instead of by person. It’s worth noting that a “customer” refers only to one meter. Multiple people are likely associated with each meter.

According to NES’s most recent update, there are now 963 lineworkers in the field in addition to 257 vegetation workers.

🤬 Frustration Grows Understandably, frustrations are mounting as many are on day five without power. Though city life is on pause, the rumor mill is working overtime. Concerns about looting have prompted some in neighborhoods like Forest Hills and Belle Meade to hire private security.

Elected officials, NES executives, and the mayor’s office have been working to combat a narrative that NES turned away linemen. The Nashville Scene published an article on the dangerous “misinformation.” IBEW, NES, SEIU, and the mayor’s office all denied the claims. Councilmember Rollin Horton used his rarely utilized constituent newsletter to push back against the “misinformation.” But Fox17 news published a report in which they spoke to two linemen who NES turned away.

It’s basically he-said-she-said at this point. Maybe the dust will settle, and we’ll get to the truth of the matter. Or maybe some other shiny object will catch the public’s attention in this debacle.

Another explanation for the hiring bottleneck might be that, because of Nashville’s antiquated electrical grid, linemen are required to go out into the field accompanied by an engineer. 

🛜 Where Are They Working? A local engineer built an NES outage monitor, that shows all outstanding outages and what NES linemen are currently working on. There is a map view (top right corner), so you can see where they are currently working. Essential tool for "monitoring the situation."

🌳 Working the Streets In the absence of government action, take things into your own hands. I spent part of the day yesterday clearing debris off the roads. With four or five guys, we cleaned up Elmington Avenue in about an hour. If you're interested in helping out, respond to this email, and I'll add you to our list.

🗺️ Nice Try One of the weird things about NES’s response to the crisis has been their steady drip of AI-looking across their social media. In an attempt to assuage concerns about where power was getting turned back on and where it wasn’t, the utility released an illegible color-coded map. Enjoy!

As a general note, I can’t think of a better justification for the existence of a massive government bureaucracy than for the purpose of coordinating prep and response to a natural disaster while ensuring that the basic infrastructure of a city remains functional. City leadership will absolutely be graded on their performance in this matter.

✹ THINGS THAT NEVER HAPPEN BUT SHOULD

​Welcome to America in 2026. You're sitting at the End of History. Nothing will ever happen again.

​The steady march toward the impossible vision of a borderless world governed by rooms full of perfectly rational leaders incapable of committing evil in thought word or deed continues apace.

​Will anything–can anything happen–that shakes us from our stupor? Is "Nothing Ever Happens" the law of the land? What should happen that hasn't happened?

​Join us Thursday, February 19th as we sit down with Sean Davis, CEO and co-founder of The Federalist, to discuss whether anything will ever happen again and more. (Buy Ticket)

This event is for the benefit of The Pamphleteer and free for paying, Bard-level subscribers.

HEADLINES

• 💧 City warns water main breaks are likely as thawing begins. Metro Water Services says crews are focused on three areas where leaks are possible: Oak Hill, Joelton, and Love Circle. (WSMV)
• 🆘 California Governor Gavin Newsom says he’s sending support to Tennessee. “I'm deploying an emergency response team to help Tennesseans in the aftermath of last weekend's snowstorm,” Newson posted on X. “California will always answer the call to support our fellow Americans."
• 💡 Rumor has it that Belle Meade could be last on the priority list for power restoration. The area’s grinder pump system is powered by electricity which pumps greywater and blackwater into the sewer. Tensions continue to mount as rumors circulate that outages could stretch into next week. (Banner)
• 🗺 Population growth in Tennessee likely not enough for extra congressional seat. Tennessee saw the country’s eighth-largest growth with 63,785 residents added to the state last year, and ranked No. 10 with a growth rate of 0.9 percent. Each congressional district is supposed to contain roughly 761,000 people. (State Affairs)

✹ QUOTE OF THE DAY

🪖 National Guard deployed for storm aid as Davidson lawmakers request help. Nashville needs help with debris removal and welfare checks. According to Representative Caleb Hemmer (D-Nashville), 136 Guard troops were activated in Davidson County, and additional utility vehicles and troops are on the way.

"I guess it helps to ask," he told the Lookout.

DEVELOPMENT

• Local builder embarks on final phase of luxury condo by Centennial Park (NBJ)
• Storage building planned for Sylvan Park (Post)
• Madison site eyed for apartment project (Post)

📰 Check out the full newsletter archive here.

Today's newsletter is brought to you by Davis Hunt, Megan Podsiedlik, and Camelia Brennan.