Weather Briefing: January 27, 2026 - Weather Related Concerns for Seniors & Disabled Are Being Received at 615-862-6432

Metro Social Services anticipated the storm's outcome and impact and engaged in a proactive response by delivering nearly 1,300 hot & cold meals, Emergency/Snow Meals (non-perishable food that doesn't require electricity to prepare) and food boxes ahead of the storm. Despite this proactive move, client needs persist, particularly for seniors and disabled, as the weather impact lingers.

MSS has been actively monitoring the weather and client needs. Our office has received calls for help - food, transportation to warming shelters, assistance with oxygen due to power outages, calls from loved ones who live out of state and their elderly loved one is trapped at home without power, etc. Below are the following measures we have taken as of Tuesday 2 p.m., in response to the current weather event.

Monitoring our Office Phone Lines & Email: (44 calls & emails received)

Despite being closed due to inclement weather, that has not stopped those in need from calling our office, requesting help for themselves and their elderly and disabled loved ones. We've designated staff to monitor the phone lines. They are fielding and logging varying needs requests. As these requests are being logged, personnel is engaged in contacting the appropriate agencies and personnel to assist the resident. This resulted in: 13 welfare calls made at the request of those outside of the city and Tennessee or those in town who were concerned for their elderly or disabled loved one.

Welfare Calls: (295 conducted)

Our Social Worker Associates and Home Ambassadors resumed conducting daily welfare calls to their assigned clients, checking on them to determine - if they still have enough food, is their power on, would they like to get to a warming shelter, do they have an urgent or emergent medical need, etc. These welfare calls have resulted in the following actions as of Tuesday 2pm:

• We provided transportation for six (6) elderly clients to the city's warming shelters
• We contacted first responders to conduct welfare checks at the homes of four (4) elderly clients trapped in their homes without electricity. One had a tree that fall on their home. Upon contact, all were deemed "safe". These welfare visits resulted in:
  • one (1) person taken to a friend's home
  • one (1) taken to a warming shelter
  • two (2) stayed at home

MSS Leadership Coordination Meetings

Our leadership team continues to meet daily (multiple times in the day) and communicate as we assess this very fluid situation. In doing so, we are keeping our coordination and response to residents' needs tight and active. Additionally, our leadership, particularly Executive Director Renée Pratt, remains in communication with city leadership, primarily the Office of Emergency Management, as we respond to the critical needs of Nashville's most vulnerable.

Context

We service the city's most vulnerable - seniors, disabled, those with housing barriers, those living in poverty, domestic violence victims, etc. They are already facing challenges. Weather systems like this further compound their needs.

Seniors and disabled are at particular disadvantage during events like this because they do not or cannot drive, they often "don't want to be a burden" and avoid asking for and receiving help, they live alone and/or their only loved ones live in another state, are technologically challenged and have troubled protecting themselves during the storm, and are afraid to leave their homes.

Our trusting relationship with senior and disabled clients is paramount, especially during times like this when their care is in our hands.

Statement

"Our proactive response is literally lifesaving for our residents, especially our seniors and disabled. Many are alone, scared, and have no one but us to care for them. Some, we've found sitting in their cold homes with no electricity. They were relieved to hear our voice and know they were not forgotten. It's humbling to us and a deep honor to know that when their life is on the line, they trust us and so do their loved ones who call on us to help," said Renée Pratt, MSS executive director

Metropolitan Social Services provides a range of services to help Davidson County residents who are in need. These services promote positive change for individuals and families in times of crisis and economic hardship. We provide: information and referral, counseling, family support, life management skills, mental health support, nutrition, burial services, strategic planning and research.