Mayor Freddie O’Connell Issues Executive Order 58 Creating Commission to Review Storm Response

In support of greater transparency and accountability for the city's emergency capabilities during extreme weather events, Mayor Freddie O'Connell created a new commission today by executive order to review preparation and response to Winter Storm Fern.

Executive Order 58 establishes the 2026 Winter Storm Response Commission to review the comprehensive response to a storm that began Jan. 24 and left 230,000 Nashville Electric Service customers without power at one point, marking the most severe power outage in NES history. As of this morning, nine days later, power was restored to more than 200,000 of those homes.

"As we complete our disaster response to Winter Storm Fern, I-and many Nashvillians-are looking for deeper accountability about our preparedness before the storm and responsiveness during the storm with regard to our electric grid," Mayor O'Connell said. "And we want to hold ourselves accountable for the whole-of-government response.

"No one can question the dedication of the line workers, the tree and vegetation crews, the first responders, the medical staff, the emergency communications teams, and the staff and volunteers serving Nashvillians at all hours of every day, sometimes under difficult and dangerous conditions. But good questions can be and have been raised about the expectations we should have, and the ability to communicate and perform better, during crisis. This commission will try to answer those questions."

The Winter Storm Response Commission will have investigative powers, including the ability to compel the attendance of witnesses and the production of records pertinent to the investigation or any hearing and to administer oaths to witnesses. The Commission will have the ability to hold hearings and request assistance from the Metropolitan Auditor.

The Commission will have nine members, including several who are community leaders or experts in utility infrastructure, emergency response, and crisis communications. Vice Mayor Henderson and Metro Council President Pro Tempore Delishia Porterfield will be Commission members. The Office of the Mayor will appoint the rest in the coming days, including the Chair.

Mayor O'Connell has asked the Commission to return its initial findings as soon as possible and to be in constant communication with his office providing regular updates. The Commission's initial report is due no later than six months after the first meeting.

The Commission is empowered to review and investigate NES' preparation and response to the storm, as well as the response from Metro and other agencies. The Commission will make recommendations on policy changes to improve response times and reduce significant delays in power restoration.

In his previous executive actions related to Winter Storm Fern, Mayor O'Connell declared a State of Emergency via Executive Order 56 on Jan. 25 and extended it one week later with Executive Order 57 on Sunday.