Middle Tennessee Electric is is the largest electric cooperative in the Tennessee Valley Authority region and the second largest in the United States, serving more than 750,000 Tennesseans in 11 counties, including Rutherford County. But MTE doesn’t only manage the city’s electricity – they prepare for storms.
Tennessee’s primary severe weather season begins in March and continues through May, according to to National Weather Service Meteorologist Ryan Husted in an article from The Tennessean, but MTE prepares year-round for severe weather.
MTE has an ongoing vegetation management program to keep trees and limbs away from powerlines year-round, which they say is the leading cause of power outages during storms, and they actively monitor weather forecasts and activate emergency response plans before storms arrive.
“The emergency plans place crews on standby to quickly assess and restore power to customers who lost power, while operations staff monitors the electric system to identify and address issues as they occur,” MTE Public Relations Coordinator Amy Byers said.
MTE encourages members to check the MTE website, social media and member communication channels, such as email or text, where they send tips on building an emergency kit and creating family safety plans.
In the event of a power outage, MTE sends alerts to affected customers and asks that members report the outages immediately.
It is recommended that you stay away from any downed lines, assume they are live and report them immediately.
The methods to report an outage are the myMTE mobile app and web portal, the automated outage line at 877-777-0215, or the 24-hour live support line at 877-777-9020.
For those using generators, MTE warns against plugging a generator directly into a wall outlet or a home’s electrical system. Doing so can send electricity back into the grid, creating a dangerous situation called backfeeding that puts line workers at risk of electrocution.
Permanently installed generators must have an automatic or ground transfer to safely disconnect from the grid, but permanently installed generators can also cause backfeeding if set up incorrectly.
“MTE’s main goal is to restore power safely to the greatest number of members in the shortest time possible,” Byers said.
MTE prioritizes hospitals, police departments, fire stations and other public health and safety facilities first.
There is a three-step process to restoring power. Step one is repairing substations and main distribution lines. Step two is repairing tap lines. And step three is that power is restored to pockets of members, then to individual homes.
In the severe thunderstorms Middle Tennessee experienced on March 15, 2026, MTE received about 1,800 outage reports.
During the storm, MTE crews and operations staff were closely monitoring the storm and systems and responded promptly to any outage reports as they occurred.
Byers says that each storm offers unique ways to improve severe weather protocols and revise plans.
“While every storm presents unique challenges, the cooperative continually works to improve preparedness, coordination and response so crews can restore power as quickly and safely as possible for members during future severe weather events,” Byers said.
For questions about MTE severe weather plans, call 877-777-9020 or visit the MTE SevereWeather Page or the visit the MTN Severe Weather Guide.
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