Power restored after TN winter storm. Feeling grateful and devastated
Brad Schmitt, Nashville Tennessean
Fri, January 30, 2026 at 12:48 PM UTC
3 min read
Add Yahoo as a preferred source to see more of our stories on Google.
I want to mark myself grateful in this 2026 ice storm in Nashville.
Power came back on in my house in Donelson on Thursday morning. No burst pipes or water damage of any kind.
Grateful for that, and for the friends and relatives who checked on me and supported me. Grateful for for the friend who Venmoed me, unsolicited, to cover some relocation expenses. Grateful for my regular dog sitter who took in sweet LeeLee for free for the last couple of nights my power was out. Grateful for the sibling who sent me a Cracker Barrel gift card.
Advertisement
Advertisement
Hell, I'm grateful for the Cracker Barrel employees and managers who drove over icy roads to get to the Music Valley Drive restaurant near Opryland. When I walked in Monday morning and spotted a manager, my voice cracked when I said thanks for getting here and for being open.
I'm grateful I had the means to get a motel room, and, though I drove gingerly around huge fallen trees to do so, I'm grateful I was able to get there.
I also want to mark myself unsettled during this experience. The uncertainty, the fear, the anxiety of being forced out of my house and my daily routines, the driving over icy roads, staring up and wondering if a huge ice-covered tree branch would snap off and crush my car. My sweet LeeLee, a gentle 13-year-old Australian shepherd mix, anxiously pacing back and forth in the car and in the motel room, which seemed to get smaller by the hour.
Though I stayed connected with friends, depression snuck up on me Monday morning and stayed with me until a busy work day distracted me. (If I angled my laptop just right, the wi-fi worked OK.)
Advertisement
Advertisement
The motel jacked up the price 80% for my third night. As the clerk revealed the new rate in the crowded lobby, I felt panic, anger and deep hurt from many of my fellow displaced neighbors. Some actually cried out.
Heartbreaking.
Two feelings can exist at the same time. Super grateful. And still feeling unsettled. Anyone who lost power agree?
It's really wild to see how many restaurants are serving free food, to learn that a few churches are paying for hundreds of hotel rooms, to find out that dozens of random folks grabbed their chainsaws and started clearing big tree limbs from roads.
Heartwarming.
Advertisement
Advertisement
And then I wonder — why is there not a way bigger and better organized response, from government, from nonprofits, from houses of worship? Nashville Electric Service reported nearly 80,000 outages persisted as of Friday morning. Tens of thousands of people with no heat for five days in freezing temperatures. There must be thousands of people in freezing homes who can't afford hotels, who don't have transportation, who are caring for elderly and disabled loved ones.
Devastating.
What would happen if a tornado damaged 80,000 homes? What if a huge fire ripped through even one-fifth as many homes? Wouldn't we see five to 10 times a response?
This whole week has been a feelings rollercoaster. Grateful. Inspired. Devastated. Unsettled. Hopeful. Hopeless. It's not either or.
Advertisement
Advertisement
I really really hope power comes back for everyone soon. In the meantime, I'll be looking for ways to support someone else. And I'll keep trying to find grace for myself and for others living through this emotional cacophony.
Reach Brad Schmitt at brad@tennessean.com.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Tennessean writer Brad Schmitt on power outage emotional rollercoaster