For Kirk Herbstreit, the devastating ice storm has changed how he looks at community resilience.
More than a week after a massive ice storm devastated the South, thousands are still without power in the cold. For Kirk Herbstreit, the storm has changed how he looks at community resilience.Thousands of families in the Nashville area have faced more than a week without power in frigid weather after theThe southern side of a massive winter storm produced significant ice accumulations, snapping trees and power lines and heavily straining electricity infrastructure across the region from Jan.
23 to Jan 26. As of the morning of Feb. 3, 2026, nearly 150,000 customers were still without power in the U.S., including thousands in Mississippi and Tennessee. "I’ve never seen anything like this," Nashville resident and ESPN College GameDay analyst Kirk Herbstreit told AccuWeather on Tuesday, more than a week after the storm.The storm knocked out power across large portions of the Nashville area and left neighborhoods impassable for days. Total customers without power in the United States, daily since the winter storm began on Jan. 23, 2026. The number of customers in the dark has gone down slowly, with 400,000 still out on Jan. 28, and 150,000 on Feb. 3. Much of that time for those without power has been spent with temperatures below the freezing mark, as Arctic air reloads over the Gulf Coast states., sending 2,200 helpers to more than 150 emergency shelters, where people have been sleeping for warmth. Some have even been More than 140 people were killed by the storm and the cold that followed it, with 44 of those in Tennessee and Mississippi. Fatalities included hypothermia, traffic accidents, and recreational or home deaths.is no stranger to harsh winter weather after growing up in Ohio, but the recent ice storm that slammed Middle Tennessee left even him stunned by its scale and destruction.Herbstreit and his wife were out of town when the storm struck, returning to Nashville to find downed trees, snapped power lines and blocked roads. Police had closed off their street entirely, forcing them to stay in a hotel for more than a week.When power was finally restored and they were able to return home, the damage was overwhelming. Massive trees had been split in half or uprooted entirely by the weight of the ice, crushing power lines and, in some cases, crashing into homes."It looked like a bomb was set off," Herbstreit said of the darkened streets and debris scattered in every direction. A Nashville Electric Service lineman works to repair damaged power lines days after a severe winter storm, Jan. 30, 2026. Ice storms can be especially destructive in the South, where trees often retain more foliage and soil conditions make uprooting more likely. Herbstreit said what surprised him most was not just the storm itself, but the sheer magnitude of the aftermath. "I’ve seen on your channel before," he said of AccuWeather. “But until you see it with your own eyes, it’s really hard to fully appreciate it." Below-freezing temperatures in the days that followed made recovery even more difficult, with lows dipping into the teens and single digits. While Herbstreit’s home avoided major structural damage, others in his neighborhood were not as fortunate, with trees smashing through roofs and windows.Icicles form on a mailbox on a neighborhood street as a winter storm moves through Nashville, Tenn,, Sunday, Jan,. 25, 2026. "Good Samaritans were out with chainsaws, just trying to help people ... drive through side streets," he said. Neighbors checked on elderly residents, shared generators and coordinated assistance through group text messages. Herbstreit said the experience has permanently changed how he views natural disasters, especially those affecting communities far from the national spotlight. "It's people that are living this for days, and this is going to take weeks, if not months to clean up." As Nashville continues its long recovery, Herbstreit hopes people outside the region understand that the impacts of major winter storms don’t end when the headlines fade. "There are still people without power right now," he said."If there's anything any of us can do to help — in this disaster or any other — I know I'll never look at these events the same way again," Herbstreit added."Sometimes during hurricane season, you see some of these storms and you're just taken aback by it, and then you get busy with your day," Herbstreit explained."After experiencing this firsthand, I know I'll be treating disasters very differently, and try to have a greater appreciation for what these folks go through."Weather News
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