1/30/2026 8:00 pm Update:
City leadership was able to have a call with NES tonight and got the following updates to share with residents. We will continue to advocate and provide information as we have it. Please help us spread this word to residents who need it.
MORE WORKERS: NES continues to add lineworkers and tree trimmers from across the county to help in response to the ongoing power outages.
NEW OUTAGE TRACKER COMING SOON: They are developing an outage tracker to estimate power restoration timeframes. They are currently testing the system and hope to have it available tomorrow. NES will make an announcement as soon as it is available and we will share that information here.
ERRORS WITH MESSAGING SYSTEM: NES acknowledged they have had a problem with their notification system where residents received error messages about power restoration. This system has been deactivated to avoid further error messages.
COMPLICATED REPAIRS: As many as three crews are needed to solve each power outage: tree trimmers, pole setters and linemen. New contractors have intermixed with NES crews to get power restored as quickly as possible, but the sheer number of outages is significantly impacting the time it takes to get all repairs completed.
PRIORITIZING LARGE OUTAGE GROUPS: Power outages have been reduced from approximately 220,000 customers to 60,000 customers. While outages remain widespread and significant, no single outage is more than 1,000 customers. NES is continuing to prioritize work based on the circuits that have the highest number of impacted customers. This means that individual homes with damaged wires or a damaged weatherhead (the metal pipe sticking up on the roof that connects to the lines) will not be prioritized. Individual connections will be addressed after repairs have been made to the circuits impacting multiple customers.
HOMEOWNER RESPONSIBILITIES: NES cannot make repairs to the weatherhead or service panel. Homeowners must hire an electrician to make these repairs BEFORE NES can restore power.
1/28/26 3:00 pm Updates on Power Outages:
City leadership has been in regular contact with NES representatives for updates on restoring power to residents. Crews have been working in Hendersonville since the outages started on Sunday. The current outage numbers for Hendersonville are looking better each day, but it is taking time to get things completely fixed. Many residents had power and then lost it again due to additional damage created from ice and limbs falling on lines.
NES has reported they have 925 lineman crews working across their service area and another 207 vegetation crews, all working as quickly as possible to restore power. The city has also hired a contractor to help clear vegetation in the lines.
If your power line was damaged, there may be things you need to do before the power company will reconnect the line. If weatherheads, power masts, or meter bases are damaged, lineworkers cannot safely reconnect power. These are the items attached to your home that may have been damaged if the line was pulled out. Please contact a certified electrician to help.
Additionally, we received an email from NES leadership today with the message below regarding rumors and concerns.
“I hope everyone is safe and warm as we continue to recover from Winter Storm Fern. I need to address the issue regarding our use of outside lineworkers. As you know, we are a union organization and have great relations with the local affiliate here. I don't know where this is coming from. NES currently has crews from Florida, Maryland, Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, Mississippi, Indiana, and Tennessee in the field. 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. We currently have more than 900-line workers in the field today. This doesn't include the dozens of vegetation management crews helping clear debris, scores of engineering assessment teams, and over 1,000 support staff supporting the restoration efforts. We are all hands-on deck to get this done.
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. Currently, we have 303 broken poles. We will have additional crews focusing on these broken poles today. We have 4,900 outages affecting 106,000 customers. We have 14 outages affecting 1,000 customers or more. These account for around 20,000 customers…”
City of Hendersonville leadership will continue to follow up with NES on progress and will provide updates to residents.