More Than 18,500 Members Without Power Following Historic Ice Storm

MLEC offices will close on Monday to focus on restoration

(4:00 p.m. January 25, 2026 – Centerville, TN) – Meriwether Lewis crews continue to respond to widespread outages caused by Winter Storm Fern with approximately 18,500 members without power. 

To fully commit resources to restoration efforts, all MLEC offices will be closed on Monday, January 26. While walk-in services will not be available, district offices will continue taking outage reports, and members are encouraged to report outages by calling their local district office or the after-hours outage line at 1-888-879-6038.

For the safety of our crews, they will suspend restoration efforts later tonight and start again early Monday. They have been working throughout the day in extremely challenging and dangerous conditions. Ice accumulation continues to cause trees and limbs to fall, and in many cases, power is being restored only to go back out as new damage occurs. MLEC has requested mutual aid, and a total of 60 lineworkers are either en route or already working across the service area assisting with repairs.

In addition, MLEC is seeing multiple instances of damaged weatherheads. These situations will require a licensed electrician to make repairs before MLEC crews can safely restore power.

“This is one of the most significant ice storms our service area has faced in recent history,” said President and CEO Keith Carnahan. “Our communities are at the heart of everything we do, and our crews are working in dangerous conditions to restore power as safely and quickly as possible for our members.”

Members are urged to remain indoors and avoid traveling if possible. Never approach downed power lines or attempt to clear debris near electrical equipment. If you are using a generator, use extreme and contact MLEC. A generator can send electricity back through electric lines and electrocute linemen or others involved in restoration efforts. See www.mlec.com/generators/ for proper generator installation and use.

MLEC appreciates the patience and understanding of its members as restoration efforts continue during this severe weather event. 

The next update will be provided at 9:00 a.m. Monday.

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