I want to express my gratitude for this ice storm in Nashville in 2026.
Power was restored to my home in Donelson Thursday morning. There were no burst pipes or any type of water damage.
I am grateful for this, and also grateful to my friends and relatives who care about me and support me. Thanks to that friend for calling me unsolicited to pay for some moving expenses. Thanks to my regular dog sitter who took care of the lovely Li Li for free during my last few nights without power. Thank you to my brothers and sisters who sent me Cracker Barrel gift cards.
OMG I’m so thankful for the Cracker Barrel employees and managers who drove on the icy roads arrive Music Valley Drive restaurant near Opryland. When I walked in and saw a manager on Monday morning, my voice cracked when I said thank you for being here and keeping an open mind.
Tennessean columnist Brad Schmitt and his dog LeeLee spent three nights in a motel near his Donelson home on January 27, 2026, when an ice storm knocked out power to about 250,000 homes in the Nashville area.
I was grateful that I had the means to rent a motel room, and although I carefully drove around the fallen tree, I was grateful that I was able to get there.
I also want to make it clear that I was disturbed by this experience. The uncertainty, the fear, the anxiety of being forced to leave my home and everyday life, driving on icy roads, staring up and wondering if a giant ice-covered branch was going to break and crush my car. My sweet LeeLee, a gentle 13-year-old Australian Shepherd mix, anxiously paces back and forth in her car and motel room, which seems to get smaller by the hour.
Although I stayed in touch with friends, depression crept up on me Monday morning and stayed with me until the busy workday distracted me. (If I tilt my laptop only Yes, Wi-Fi works fine. )
This motel increased the price for my third night by 80%. When the clerk revealed the new rates in the crowded lobby, I felt panicked, angry, and deeply hurt by the many neighbors who had been displaced. Some people actually cried.
Heartbreaking.
Nashville Electric Service linemen work on power lines on Akron Parkway on Monday, Jan. 26, 2026.
Both feelings can exist simultaneously. Super thanks. And I still felt uneasy. Do people who lose power agree?
It was crazy to see how many restaurants were offering free food, to see some churches paying for hundreds of hotel rooms, to see dozens of random people picking up chainsaws and starting clearing the roadways of large tree limbs.
Heartwarming.
And then I wondered – why wasn’t there a larger, more organized response from governments, nonprofits, places of worship? Nashville Electric Services reported that nearly 80,000 outages remained as of Friday morning. Tens of thousands were left without heat for five days in freezing temperatures. There must be thousands of people living in cold homes, unable to afford hotels, without transportation, and caring for elderly and disabled loved ones.
On Monday, January 26, 2026, a tractor-trailer traveling northbound on Interstate 65 lost control on an icy road near Interstate 440 in Nashville, Tennessee. Tennessean residents are dealing with ice, power outages and freezing temperatures as severe weather storms sweep across the state.
Devastating.
What happens if a tornado damages 80,000 homes? What if a fire destroyed a fifth of the house? Wouldn’t we see five to ten responses?
The entire week has been an emotional rollercoaster. Grateful. Be inspired. Destroyed. Unstable. Full of hope. despair. It’s not either/or.
I really really hope everyone gets their power back as soon as possible. In the meantime, I will look for ways to support others. I will continue to work on finding grace for myself and others living in this emotional tumult.
Please contact Brad Schmitt at brad@tennessean.com.
This article originally appeared in The Nashville Tennessean: Tennessean writer Brad Schmidt talks the emotional rollercoaster of blackouts