Storm Clouds Gather Over OEM

Good afternoon, everyone. Winter Storm Response Commission hears from MNPD, Metro Water, and NDOT... Op-ed: Nashville doesn’t have to wait to be safer... State Funding Board approves $30 million for Starbucks’ Nashville location... And much more!

Misfire! We mistakenly sent out today's op-ed from Bart Smith as its own email. You can also access it below.

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The Undoing of the West Join us tonight, May 21st, for a discussion with Vauban Books and writer Nathan Pinkoski for a discussion about French writer Jean Raspail's novel The Camp of Saints. (Buy Ticket)

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Nashville's Office of Emergency Management catches some flak during today's Winter Storm Response Commission meeting.

From Megan Podsiedlik

This morning, the Winter Storm Response Commission heard from the Metro Nashville Police Department, Metro Water Services, the Nashville Department of Transportation, and WeGo Public Transit regarding their response to the recent ice storm. During presentations, scrutiny of the Office of Emergency Management emerged as a common theme.

Before kicking things off, Commission Member and Director of Vanderbilt’s Emergency Management Johnny Vanderpool went over some terminology and duties associated with emergency management.

“In theory the [Emergency Operations Center] at the Office of Emergency Management should have been the direct point of this command and control and coordination,” said Vanderpool when asked whether NES could have been coordinating response efforts. “Now, does that mean there could have been NES, could have had their own EOC? Absolutely, but in reality, if you think about it, the Nashville OEM should have been that focal point running all of these organizations feeding into this.”

Director of Nashville's Metro Water Services Scott Potter noted that his department has a good relationship with Nashville Electric Services. One of the main concerns Metro Water had during the ice storm was fuel availability.

“If we have to have diesel fuel. If we don't, we are out of business,” said Potter, who suggested that the city invest in a fuel farm. “One of the things that we found, whenever there's an issue with fuel, TEMA works really hard to get us fuel, but the problem is everybody gets the fuel from the same spot.”

Along with suggesting protocols to establish separate shelters for families and single individuals, MNPD Chief John Drake expressed that he would have liked to have seen an earlier, in-person response activation from the Office of Emergency Management.

“As an after-action reflection, we think it would have been helpful for the city's emergency operations center to fully activate in the hours before the ice storm actually hit,” said Drake. “While the police department established a winter weather command, we did not have the benefit of being in a war room with counterparts from other city departments and agencies. I think we missed the face-to-face communication early on as conditions deteriorated.”

Director of NDOT Philip Jones was happy to announce that special winter storm debris collection has concluded, though the department is continuing to provide additional support to Hands On Nashville to help recovering residents. While assessing post-storm damage, NDOT also used the opportunity to do a general asset management assessment and clean up streets throughout Nashville. It’s also worth noting that NDOT helped clear the roadways for NES and other emergency responders during storm recovery.

“We would like for public works to be recognized as first responders, because we are the first ones that are out there a lot of times to clear the streets so they can get to the emergency they need to,” said Jones, who informed the commission that he’s working with the American Public Works Association and the state to establish that recognition.

The commission will hear from the Office of Emergency Management, Nashville Fire Department, and Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster during its next meeting on May 28.

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What Horrors We Wrought In 1973, French writer Jean Raspail published one of the most controversial novels of the 20th century. His novel, The Camp of Saints, has been consistently censored throughout its history.

Vauban Books recently published a new translation of the French story, accompanied by a lucid introduction by writer Nathan Pinkoski. Join us as we discuss the legacy of this controversial novel and what it says about the West.

Get your ticket

This event is for the benefit of The Pamphleteer, Nashville, and priced with that in mind. Bard-level subscribers receive free admittance.

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✹ OPINION: NASHVILLE DOESN'T HAVE TO WAIT TO BE SAFER

From Bart Smith

The night someone fired a gun at our community pool, I stopped thinking of this as a policy debate.

That was last summer in Donelson. Before that, we'd had a string of car break-ins and at least two incidents of strangers walking through residents' driveways at 2 a.m. The East Precinct was responsive when we called. But responsive isn't the same as present, and in a city this size, it can't be.

So, we decided to stop waiting and do something ourselves.

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✹ METRO COUNCIL WATCH

New Council Watch Features We've added additional features to Council Watch. In addition to who's funding your council member, you can now see how they vote and who they vote with most frequently. (Take a Look)

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HEADLINES

⛺ Wharf Park Under Development at Old Tent City Site. Metro Nashville has begun developing Wharf Park on the former Old Tent City site near the Cumberland River, about a year after clearing a decades-old encampment that housed over 100 people. Plans for the riverfront park include a boathouse (benefiting the Nashville Rowing Club), skate park, dog park, green spaces, and other amenities; recent council action reclassified a rail corridor to support the project. (Scene)
☕️ State approves $30M for Starbucks’ Nashville location. Tennessee's State Funding Board approved a $30 million grant for Starbucks to establish its Southeast headquarters in Nashville, where the company plans to invest $100 million and hire up to 2,000 people with an average salary of $125,000. The decision faced opposition from Americans for Prosperity over subsidizing a large corporation and from union groups raising concerns about worker treatment and labor violations, though officials noted clawback provisions if job and investment goals aren't met. (Lookout)
📚 State Board of Education Adopts New English Language Arts Standards. The Tennessee State Board of Education approved major revisions to English Language Arts standards (affecting ~80% of them), to take effect in the 2029-30 school year after a two-year review process. Key changes emphasize student choice in reading/writing materials to promote student engagement., reading complete texts from diverse cultures, specified writing lengths by grade, and appropriate use of digital tools like AI. (Banner)
🚌 MNPS special education bus driver charged with DUI after crash. A 75-year-old Metro Nashville Public Schools special education bus driver, Madubiri Nwoke, was arrested on DUI charges after crashing an empty bus (en route to pick up students) into a parked vehicle. Though no students were aboard, an adult assistant was slightly injured; the driver has been placed on administrative leave while the district investigates. (NewsChannel 5)