Image Credit: John Partipilo/Tennessee Lookout
***Note from The Tennessee Conservative – this article posted here for informational purposes only.
By: Sam Stockard [Tennessee Lookout -CC BY-NC-ND 4.0] –
Davidson County lawmakers requested activation of the Tennessee National Guard Wednesday for help responding to the catastrophic damage caused by Winter Storm Fern, which knocked out power across the region and left a path of destruction.
The National Guard told the Lookout Wednesday that National Guard personnel were deployed already in several parts of the state.
“The combination of widespread tree failures, impassable roadways, extended utility interruptions and ongoing threats to life and property has significantly strained local emergency response capacity,” the letter signed by five Davidson County lawmakers said.
Several Metro Nashville departments, including the department of transportation, public works, first responders and the Office of Emergency Management are working at capacity but the level of damage requires National Guard aid, the letter says.
Help is needed with tree and debris removal to reopen roads, welfare checks on medically vulnerable and elderly residents, support for public works crews, backup for first responders and cooperation with the Office of Emergency Management, the letter says.
“The people of Davidson County are resilient, but the severity of this event demands a unified statewide response,” the letter says.
The National Guard said Wednesday that soldiers and airmen are continuing to support state, county and local emergency responders in Middle and West Tennessee, including Nashville and Memphis. At the request of the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency, Guard personnel are assisting stranded motorists, conducting health and welfare checks, transporting medical personnel to hospitals and doing other tasks.
In Davidson County, National Guard personnel transported fuel and helped Nashville Electric Service clear debris, in addition to assisting the American Red Cross in setting up a shelter and providing medical care.
Guard personnel deployed to Shelby County as part of the Memphis Safe Task Force helped 20 stranded people, recovered 220 stranded motorists and helped set up and run warming centers across the city, in addition to transporting emergency and healthcare workers to hospitals and emergency management centers, according to the release. The Guard detailed work in Hardin and Hickman counties as well.
“Our guardsmen have been assisting our fellow citizens since the storm hit,” said Maj. Gen. Warner Ross, Tennessee’s adjutant general.
The National Guard prepared before the storm hit, setting up a joint operations center for 24-hour assistance, Ross said.
Democrat state Rep. Caleb Hemmer said his district near the southern Davidson County line and Williamson County was one of the hardest hit areas in the region.
Hemmer said he was told 136 Guard troops were activated and 50 more are to be sent to Davidson County with two utility vehicles.
“I guess it helps to ask,” Hemmer said, adding he saw military personnel rolling through upscale Belle Meade Wednesday.
One Response
Yup, lucifer’s accursed dimmercrap’s DEI.
https://tennesseestar.com/culture/woke-nes-ceo-on-tree-trimming-i-dont-want-us-out-destroying-the-canopy/khousler/2026/01/29/?mc_cid=1cf259967f