Middle Tennessee Ice Storm Response

Overton County, TN Rapid Response

Over the last week, Middle Tennessee has been impacted by snow from the winter storm that is currently sweeping the nation. This unprecedented change in temperatures has brought significant freezing rain to eastern Middle Tennessee.

Freezing rain and the weight of ice (and additional snow) have caused countless trees to snap and break–bringing down hundreds of power lines. Overton County was hit particularly hard.

We coordinated with the Emergency Manager for Overton County and TEMA to rapidly deploy several Inspiritus volunteer chainsaw teams (10 people each team) to begin clearing roadways to ensure the electric company could restore power to thousands of households.

We are deeply saddened that this storm has taken the lives of six Tennesseans so far, four of whom resided in Middle Tennessee. Outages have been reported in nine counties throughout the region – leaving thousands of residents in the dark.

Inspiritus received an additional request asking for 6-10 teams to assist with delivering welfare checks throughout the affected communities. We have organized and deployed additional teams to assist with these efforts – monitoring roadways and tending to clearing fallen trees if necessary to ensure delivery of these checks.

Please consider donating to support our disaster relief work. We couldn't do what we do without your help. Through your generosity and support, we're bringing hope to the people who need it most.

Gratefully,

Virginia Spencer

Chief Development Officer

Inspiritus