Trump approves emergency funding for Tennessee winter storm fallout

Ice coats the branches of a tree in Nashville during Winter Storm Fern. Heavy ice and has caused trees and branches to fall on power lines in Middle Tennessee, leading to widespread power outages. (Photo: John Partipilo/Tennessee Lookout)

In the wake of a massive winter storm that rolled across Tennessee, covering the state with a glaze of ice and leaving hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses without power, President Donald Trump approved on Saturday a request for emergency aid. 

Gov. Bill Lee issued a state of emergency for all 95 counties on Friday, ahead of the storm, and on Sunday, Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell declared one, urging people to stay home if possible. 

“Try to shelter in place, help neighbors who are in walking distance, be careful if you do have to go outside,” said O’Connell. 

As of Sunday afternoon, more than 225,000 Nashville households lack electricity, according to the Nashville Electric Service and O’Connell. Middle Tennessee Electric Corporation, which covers portions of Middle Tennessee, reported 13,000 outages. Cumberland Electric Membership Corporation, which serves portions of northern Middle Tennessee, including Montgomery, Stewart, Sumner and Robertson counties, reports 35,000 of its 110,000 members are without electricity. 

Memphis, which in 2022 had long term outages after a major winter storm, escaped the worst of the ice. 

Activation of an emergency declaration gives state and local government agencies access to federal support for emergency protective measures, direct federal assistance and coordination of federal resources.

Trump’s quick approval of the request for emergency support contrasts the much slower response from the federal government after severe storms battered West Tennessee in the spring. 

This is the third time in less than two years Tennessee has had to access federal emergency funds for climate disasters. Prior to the spring tornadoes and flooding in 2025, in September 2024, flooding caused by Hurricane Helene caused catastrophic damage to parts of East Tennessee.