NES Power Outages Update for Jan. 29, 2026

• we have about 90,000 customers currently without power
• there are 426 broken poles across our service area

NES teams worked tirelessly throughout the night to make repairs and restore power to customers after a historic severe storm with snow, freezing rain and ice impacted the region. As of 6 a.m. today, NES lineworkers have restored power to 139,000 customers. NES and contracted lineworkers will continue operations in rotations, and they will remain on extended 14–hour to 16‑hour shifts to ensure we can continue responding quickly to help our customers.

NES has deployed more than 930 lineworkers to continue restoration efforts and help our customers. NES currently has lineworkers from Florida, Maryland, Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, Mississippi, Indiana and Tennessee in the field. Additionally, 215 vegetation management team members as well as supplemental contract teams have been deployed to complement restoration efforts and ensure lineworkers can continue reaching their sites efficiently.

Today, NES will deploy 42 more vegetation management team members to the field, making a total of 257 vegetation management personnel. Additionally, more lineworkers will also be deployed to assist with restoration efforts at Noon today, making a total of 963 lineworkers in the field.

Currently, these are the areas with our largest outages:

We have also received reports of individuals charging homeowners $2,200 to repair damaged meter bases and other equipment. While it is true that homeowners are responsible for the weatherhead, service mast, and meter base, we’re asking customers to follow these steps to avoid scams and stay safe:

If weatherheads, power masts, or meter bases are damaged, our lineworkers cannot safely reconnect power. NES maintains and repairs the lines leading to a customer’s home, but homeowners are responsible for the equipment on the house. If home equipment repairs need to be made, we strongly suggest contacting a licensed and registered electrician for those repairs.

To help customers after this massive storm, NES has added a Storm Q&A section to its outages web page to answer frequently asked questions. In addition, the page now has a detailed color map showing which neighborhoods have power restored and which areas have outages.

NES restores power by tackling areas affecting the largest number of customers first. We understand being without power is difficult, especially when conditions outside are extreme. Regardless of where a customer lives, each customer is important, and our lineworkers are working hard to restore power to every last customer. No one will be forgotten or left behind; however, utility prioritization practices are to restore the greatest number of customers first.

While other companies have offered support, which is greatly appreciated, we have been able to grow our workforce with current contracts and mutual aid partnerships. Safely restoring power to all customers is always our top priority. In terms of utilizing outside crews, integrating new crews into a live electric system is challenging. We will not and cannot compromise safety. Linemen must be qualified, trained on our system, insured, and integrated into our safety and operations protocols. Mutual aid ensures crews meet those criteria.

Along with city officials, NES also continues to ask for the community’s help. If your power is out, do not call 911. We need to keep those lines open for emergencies. But if you see a downed power line, that is an emergency, so that is when it is appropriate to call 911. We ask that everyone stay away from downed power lines, and to always assume they are live and dangerous.