Extended Outages Expected Following Severe Ice Storm
Updated Monday, February 2 at 8:30 a.m.
Important Update: Power Restored
We are incredibly grateful to share that over the weekend, power was restored to all CEMC members impacted by last week’s winter storm.
This effort would not have been possible without the dedication of our lineworkers, tree trimming crews, right-of-way teams, contractors, dispatchers, engineers, and support teams working behind the scenes. We are also deeply thankful for the mutual aid crews and neighboring utilities and cooperatives who answered the call and stood shoulder to shoulder with our crews through some of the most severe damage to our system in our cooperative’s history.
Most of all, we want to thank you, our members. Your patience, kindness, and constant support for our team throughout this outage meant more than we can say. This storm was a reminder of what it means to be a cooperative. We serve our communities because we are part of them, and we don’t stop until every last member is restored.
Together, we weather the storm. Together, we move forward.
The outages mentioned in the information below have since been resolved. Thank you for your patience while we worked to restore you!
Situation Update
Throughout the week, CEMC crews have been responding to widespread damage across our service area following Sunday’s severe ice storm. There are currently about 107 members without power, down from our peak of over 35,000 during the storm. Due to the extent of tree damage and broken electrical equipment, it is possible that restoration could last until the end of the week for some members, especially those in the hardest hit areas like Portland and Gallatin. Crews will continue working through the night, focusing on the final, most detailed repairs needed to restore service to these remaining members.
For those still without power, it is very important that you make necessary preparations or arrangements to be without electricity for an extended period. If needed, consider reaching out to friends or family who have power, checking on neighbors, or locating a warming shelter in your area. Safety and staying warm are the top priorities during extended outages. If you or someone you know relies on electricity for life-sustaining medical equipment and is without power, please make alternative arrangements and contact local emergency services if necessary.
Damage Assessment
Ice accumulation has caused trees, limbs, and debris to fall onto power lines, poles, and other equipment. In many locations, crews cannot begin electrical repairs until trees and debris are safely cleared. In some locations, crews must clear debris just to reach damaged lines, only to discover additional broken poles or downed lines farther along the circuit. This kind of compounded damage significantly increases the time required to make repairs.
As of Friday evening, about 10 instances of damage (to include downed lines, broken poles, fallen trees, and damaged equipment) have been identified for repair. Many of these damage instances require physical clearing of debris prior to power restoration work.
In some areas, especially along side roads in Portland and Gallatin, ice accumulation is still making it difficult for crews to move large equipment into place. Some areas are only accessible by ATV’s, while other repairs require specialized equipment to reach the most difficult areas. Despite the cold temperatures and challenging conditions, crews continue to make strong progress today with pole changeouts and critical repairs. These are time-intensive tasks, but they are essential to safely restoring service in the hardest-hit locations.
The Final Stretch
At this stage of restoration, it may appear as though progress on the outage map is slower compared to earlier stages of restoration throughout the week. This is because crews are now focusing solely on more isolated outages that only affect a few homes, as opposed to earlier stages of restoration where a single repair could restore service to hundreds of homes. Restoring power to a single home can often require just as much time and labor as an outage affecting multiple homes.
We assure you that we aren’t slowing down, and our team will continue to work until the job is done.
Additional Crews are Assisting
To support restoration efforts, we currently have over 600 personnel working on restoration, including over 250 contract crew members that arrived on Monday and continue to work alongside our own lineworkers. Crews have come in from other utilities and contractors in Tennessee, Georgia, Arkansas, and Pennsylvania. These crews are assisting alongside CEMC lineworkers, tree trimming and right-of-way crews, and ground support crews to assess damage, clear hazards, and begin repairs as conditions allow.
Restoration Process
At this stage or restoration, crews are working on isolated, individual outages affecting small groups of homes, or even individual homes. It is possible that those nearby areas where crews are currently working will experience brief outages through the night. This is due to our crews having to temporarily flip breakers in order to finalize repairs and bring additional homes back onto the circuit to be restored. We assure you that we are aware of any home that is without power, whether due to actual damage or due to a breaker being flipped by our team.
We are also aware that in some cases, a neighbor’s power may be restored while another nearby location remains without service. This can happen due to how the electric system is designed and how repairs must be completed in sequence. If you are still without power, please know that you have not been forgotten.
Important Safety Reminders
As crews continue restoration work, we want to strongly remind members that approaching power poles and downed lines is extremely dangerous. Equipment on or around poles may be damaged, unstable, or not secured. Please do not approach, stand near, or park vehicles around power poles while restoration is ongoing. Always stay far away from downed power lines and assume they are energized. Any downed lines or damaged equipment should be reported immediately by calling 911 or contacting CEMC at (800) 987-2362.
Outage Reporting
While our Outage Map is fully functional, our text message alert/outage reporting system is currently down. You can still report outages online via SmartHub or by calling (800) 987-2362. If you have already reported your outage, additional reports are not necessary unless conditions change, such as a downed power line or a new safety hazard. Most outages are automatically detected by our system, so even if you think your report did not go through, our crews are already likely aware of the outage.
Scam Alert
We have received reports of scam calls targeting members during this outage. In these calls, scammers falsely claim to be calling on behalf of CEMC and tell members that their power will be restored immediately if a past-due balance is paid over the phone. These calls are fraudulent.
CEMC will never demand immediate payment to restore service during a large outage, and we do not request payment by phone, text, or email. If you receive a call, text, or email that pressures you to pay right away or threatens delayed restoration, hang up and do not provide any personal or financial information. If you are unsure whether a message is legitimate, contact us directly at (800) 987-2362.
It is also important to note that our crews may potentially knock on your door to bring attention to damage or something else a member would be responsible for, such as a damaged meter base or weatherhead. Our crews will NEVER ask for payment. Do not give payment information to anyone who knocks on your door and demands payment who claims to be from CEMC. That is a scam.
We understand how difficult and disruptive extended outages can be, especially during extreme cold. CEMC crews and our partners are working as quickly and safely as possible, and restoration efforts will continue until every member has power restored.
Additional information and answers to common questions are provided below:
You can report an outage by calling (800) 987-2362, or online via SmartHub. Please do not report outages via social media as our social media platforms are not tied to our outage system.
DO NOT call 911 to report a power outage. Emergency lines need to remain open for true, life-threatening emergencies.
During widespread outages, crews follow a prioritized restoration process designed to restore power to the greatest number of members as quickly and as safely as possible. This approach helps stabilize the electric system before individual locations can be brought back online.
Restoration typically begins by making repairs to our transmission and distribution line, as well as our substations. These must be repaired before moving into neighborhoods or individual homes. At the stage we are currently at as of Wednesday, crews are working on both larger outage groups and isolated, individual outages affecting single homes, as mainline repairs have progressed far enough to allow work deeper into neighborhoods.
At this time, we are not able to provide an estimated restoration time for individual locations. This event involves widespread outages across our entire service area, with thousands of members affected across five counties, extensive ice damage, and over 120 separate outage locations (and counting) that must be repaired.
Winter storms and ice cause layered damage that physically breaks our equipment. Crews will often work to assess damage and make repairs only to find another downed line, fallen tree, or broken pole in the process. This layered damage increases the workload and scope of repair significantly, and we can’t provide accurate restoration times with this kind of damage.
Restoration depends on many factors, including the amount of tree damage, access to equipment, weather conditions, and the order in which repairs must be made. Crews are working throughout the CEMC service territory to restore power as quickly and as safely as possible, and progress will continue as conditions allow.
Due to the high volume of outages, some members may experience difficulty reporting outages by phone, text, or through SmartHub. Please know that even if you are unable to submit a report, our system automatically detects the vast majority of outages on our lines, and crews are likely already aware of the issue.
Our teams are actively working to restore service as quickly and safely as possible. If you have already attempted to report your outage, no further action is needed unless you observe a new safety concern, such as a downed power line.
In some cases, power may be temporarily restored while crews are making repairs, then go back off if additional damage is discovered or if another tree or line issue occurs. Ice-related damage can be progressive, meaning problems may continue to develop even after initial repairs are made.
In other cases, power may be temporarily interrupted while lineworkers open breakers to safely finalize repairs and bring additional members back online. These brief interruptions are part of the restoration process and allow crews to safely restore service to larger groups of members.
If your power goes back out, our system will often detect the outage automatically, but you may report it again if needed.
If you receive a restoration message but your power is still out, you can re-report your outage by calling (800) 987-2362 or reporting it online via SmartHub. Our system automatically detects most outages, but this can help ensure that yours is not missed.
During large restoration events, lines may be briefly re-energized as part of the repair process, or power may be lost again due to additional storm damage. If you are unsure whether your outage has been properly recorded, submitting another report helps ensure your location is accurately reflected.
DO NOT approach a downed power line, broken pole, or damaged equipment. Always assume any downed power line or damaged electrical equipment is energized and dangerous. Stay far away and do not touch the line or anything in contact with it, including trees, fences, or vehicles. DO NOT attempt to clear a tree that has fallen on downed power lines or other equipment.
If you encounter a downed power line, broken pole, or other damaged electrical equipment, report it immediately by calling 911 or contacting CEMC. If the situation is an immediate emergency, call 911 first.
For your safety and the safety of others, keep people and pets away from the area until crews arrive.
We are aware of these issues and are working to get these fixed as quickly as possible. While our Outage Map is currently back online, our text alert and reporting system is currently down.
Please know that even if the Outage Map or text alert system is down, our system automatically detects virtually all outages and makes our crews aware. We apologize for the inconvenience and are trying to get these systems back online.
The colored dots on the map indicate power outage incidents, not necessarily individual members. Each color represents the number of members affected by each outage (see map legend below).
For example, a purple dot indicates a single member outage (example below). The larger colored dots represent single outage incidents that affect more than one member.
Therefore, if you do not see a purple dot over your address on the map, you are more than likely affected by a larger outage (example below), indicated by a different colored, larger dot in an approximate area on the map.
Outside of essential institutions such as hospitals, emergency services, and water services, there is no “priority list” when it comes to restoration. Rather, we restore power in a manner that prioritizes getting the largest number of members back online as quickly as possible. We do this by first repairing transmission and distribution lines as well as our substations. Once these main lines are repaired, we then move onto repairing neighborhood lines, and finally, power lines running to individual homes.
At the stage we are at as of Wednesday, crews are working on both larger outage groups and isolated, individual outages affecting single homes, as mainline repairs have progressed far enough to allow work deeper into neighborhoods.
Our restoration process must follow this specific order, because if we started repairing lines to neighborhoods and individual homes first, there would be no power running to them if our transmission and distribution lines were still offline. We can assure you that this protocol allows us to get our entire membership restored in as little time as possible.
Most crews should have their vehicles clearly marked with either our logo or a contractor logo. It is possible that a crew member could come to your door if there is damage in the area they need to communicate or something the member needs to address, like a damaged weatherhead or meter base. IMPORTANT: Our crews or personnel will NEVER ask for payment. DO NOT give money or payment information to anyone claiming to be a crew member.
