Memphis Light, Gas and Water (MLGW) officials report that most customers who lost power during Saturday's severe storm are expected to have their service restored by Thursday evening, as hundreds of utility workers continue repairs throughout Memphis and Shelby County.
The bow echo storm moved through the area Saturday evening, producing winds exceeding 70 mph and knocking out power to more than 140,000 MLGW customers. The utility has described the recovery process as a multi-day effort due to significant damage to trees, utility poles, and power lines.
During a news conference with Memphis Mayor Paul Young and other local officials, Doug McGowen, the President and CEO of MLGW, stated that the storm unexpectedly intensified on Saturday as it crossed the Mississippi River and entered Shelby County. MLGW received its first notification shortly before 5 p.m. when a severe thunderstorm warning was issued.
McGowen said MLGW began requesting outside assistance as soon as the extent of the storm and damage became apparent. By Sunday, over 40 outside crews had arrived, with more expected in the evening and Monday morning. This extra support includes more than 350 additional electrical workers joining MLGW's own technicians, as well as over 200 tree workers. In total, McGowen estimated that between 700 and 800 people were working in the field on Sunday.
By Sunday afternoon, about 55,000 customers had been restored, leaving approximately 85,000 without power.
McGowen called the storm the seventh-most damaging in MLGW's history, based on the number of customers affected and the extent of damage to the utility's circuits.
Restoration efforts are being prioritized based on the critical nature of infrastructure. Crews are first focusing on essential facilities such as hospitals, water treatment plants, and wastewater facilities.
After addressing those areas, crews will move to large distribution circuits serving the greatest number of customers, followed by smaller lines serving individual streets and, ultimately, outages affecting individual homes.
McGowen warned that the extent of the damage makes it impossible to provide restoration estimates for specific neighborhoods or homes. A typical restoration job takes four to six hours, while replacing damaged poles carrying multiple lines can take eight hours or more.
Still, he said MLGW expects "to have a vast majority of customers on by Thursday evening," based on the damage identified so far.
Customers who remain without electricity should prepare for the possibility of being without power for several days, McGowen said. He also stressed that not seeing repair crews in a neighborhood does not mean MLGW is not working to restore service there, because the source of an outage can be miles away along the same power circuit.
The storm also affected water treatment facilities. McGowen said the plants were back in operation Sunday but urged residents to temporarily conserve water while reservoirs and wells recover. He encouraged residents to refrain from high-water-use activities, such as watering lawns and washing cars, for the remainder of the day.
The widespread outages are also disrupting the start of the school week. Memphis-Shelby County Schools (MSCS) announced Sunday that all schools and district offices will be closed Monday, Aug. 24. The district said more than 30 outages were affecting over 40 schools and administrative buildings as restoration efforts continued.
Elsewhere across the city, cleanup and recovery efforts are underway. Mayor Paul Young said crews were working to clear fallen trees, limbs, and other debris from roads and intersections. As of Sunday afternoon, he said Memphis police had no pending high-priority storm-related emergencies, with most storm-related calls involving outages, blocked roads, and intersections without working traffic signals.
The city will begin collecting storm-related vegetation debris Monday. Residents are asked to cut limbs into sections no longer than 5 feet before placing them at the curb.
Officials also urged residents to stay away from downed power lines and trees touching electrical lines. Customers whose homes sustained damage to electrical equipment may need repairs by a licensed electrician and a code enforcement inspection before MLGW can restore service.
When asked whether National Guard members currently in Memphis could assist with storm recovery, Young said the city would seek help wherever it is available.
“This is an all-hands-on-deck effort,” Young said. “Anybody that can help us with this recovery, helping navigate traffic, remove debris, we are gonna be calling on their support.”
Acknowledging the uncertainty faced by residents still without power, McGowen committed to continuing the restoration efforts.
“We're not gonna stop until each and every customer is restored.”
Power outages can be monitored at wknofm.org/outage. Outages should be reported directly to the MLGW Outage Hotline at (901) 544-6500.