’m on day five with no heat.
Even if it got turned back on today, I have frozen pipes in my apartment and water mains are breaking. My hilly street is full of ice and there is a frozen tree branch blocking me from getting into my driveway.
I am surviving because my friends offered to take me — and my cat Slim Jim — into their home.
100,000 Nashvillians are without heat and in the same place as me right now.
I’ve been walking through the city with a microphone, asking how others are getting by. This is what they’ve told me.
WHAT TO KNOW
Bruner’s food truck from Kentucky giving out free meals
Plan B
At first, a lot of people thought they could stick it out. Some were even having fun with it. “Look at this beautiful weather we are having here.” Abdullah Mohamad, who was behind the counter of EZ Mart said, smiling at me.
But with indoor temperatures dropping by the minute, many were looking a second option.
Hotels
Sean Smith left the cold winters of Michigan to move to Nashville two weeks ago. “And now I gotta deal with this,” he told me outside a gas station in North Nashville. He sounded surprised when I told him that it could take days for him to get heat back. “I’m looking into getting a hotel.”
Two of my neighbors, multiple colleagues and several friends booked hotels. Now many hotels are booked solid.
Friends and family
A tree fell on Jake Thibodeau’s house. A friend told him that it wasn’t safe to stay there and offered him, his wife, three kids and dogs a place stay. He’s happy now. “Got heat. Got whiskey. Just not at my place.”
Cramped quarters are common. I talked to a friend who has taken seven people into her tiny apartment.
For some, it’s been a bit awkward. I talked to E.A. Cox and her son in the Kroger in Germantown. They’d taken in her dad. “How has it been having your grandpa around?” I asked her son. “A lot.” he said.
The kindness of strangers
Mellissa Bruner drove for three hours on icy roads, down from Kentucky to stand in the cold and give away free hot meals to strangers. “I couldn’t imagine being in this position, cold and hungry with no place to go.” Miriam Mendoza was in the front of the line with two of her daughters. They waited an hour in the cold to get a hot meal from Bruner’s food truck. They didn’t even know what food they were going to get. “Whatever it is, we’ll be grateful. It’s a blessing. This is a blessing.”
I’m not doing well
Honestly, I’m having a tough time. I thought NES fixed my power yesterday, but when I got to my apartment it was still out. I cried in the car. All my houseplants were dead or dying. Being displaced is so disruptive.
But I am safe, thanks to the kindness of others. Tonight I will eat a hot meal, watch Taskmaster and laugh. If you have taken anyone in or helped anyone in any way, thank you from me and from us. We’re gonna get through this, Nashville, even if it sucks.
Hear an audio version of this story.
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On today’s episode of the NashVillagerpodcast with host Nina Cardona 🎙️
From power grid repairs to fixing damage to homes, winter weather like what has hit Middle Tennessee can be expensive. Plus, the local news for January 29, 2026, and remembering our last big ice storm.
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MORE TO KNOW
- Water issues pose risks in Nashville. As the ground begins to defrost, soil and underground pipes can shift — which could cause those pipes to break. Main breaks can be identified by water running in the street. Multiple water main breaks are being assessed and repaired around the city with more to come.
- Tennessee death toll climbs. The death toll of the winter storm has increased. Eight people in Tennessee are now confirmed dead. Warming centers are open, and people can request welfare checks for loved ones. In Nashville, that can be done by calling 3-1-1, and in the rest of the state the hotline is 1-800-TBI-FIND.
- Uptick in carbon monoxide poisoning at Nashville hospitals. Vanderbilt’s Monroe Carrell Jr. Children’s hospital has treated more than 20 kids in recent days, and they expect to see even more cases since a leading cause of the poisoning is improper use or ventilation of generators and heat sources.
FROM WNXP
FROM THIS IS NASHVILLE
In this episode, we air Metro Nashville’s daily press conference live from Mayor Freddie O’Connell’s office, a live interview with Metro Water Services deputy director Brent Freeman, a few hotel dispatches and a check-in on our tiniest (and cutest) residents.
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