TEMA Activates Level 3 Emergency as Winter Storm Fern Hits Decatur County

TEMA has the State Emergency Operations Center in Nashville activated at a Level 3 State of Emergency to coordinate statewide response to Winter Storm Fern, the agency said in Flash Report #6. The statewide posture signals expanded coordination among state and local agencies as crews prioritize restoring power and keeping people safe.

Flash Report #6 is dated Wednesday, January 28, 2026, at 08:02pm and states in full: "The State Emergency Operations Center in Nashville remains activated at a Level 3 – State of Emergency to support statewide coordination in response to Winter Storm Fern." The same release includes a truncated line that reads, "Restoring power remains the state’s top priori" in the excerpt made available to media; the full text of that passage is being sought by officials and reporters.

Local operations in Nashville illustrate how agencies are deploying resources on the ground. The Nashville Office of Emergency Management said, "The Nashville Office of Emergency Management (OEM), in partnership with the Nashville Fire Department (NFD), Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD) and the Department of Emergency Communications (DEC), provided close to 200 safe transports to area Warming Locations in Metro Nashville Davidson County." The OEM also noted that "Warming locations are at all Nashville Fire Stations and Metro Nashville Police Precincts, except for the Central Precinct and East Precinct, for residents affected by the current cold weather."

Nashville OEM described the types of calls it has fielded: "food, transportation to warming shelters, assistance with oxygen due to power outages, calls from loved ones who live out of state and their elderly loved one is trapped at home without power, etc." The office said its "Social Worker Associates and Home Ambassadors resumed conducting daily welfare calls to their assigned clients, checking on them to determine – if they still have enough food, is their power on, would they like to get to a warming shelter, do they have an urgent or emergent medical need, etc."

Media reporting has also cited casualty figures that have not yet been fully detailed in state releases. A local television summary said, "A TEMA flash report from Tuesday evening revealed the Tennessee Department of Health confirmed eight deaths across the state, including two", that sentence was published as an excerpt and was not completed in the material provided to news outlets. State and local authorities have not released detailed location or cause information in the excerpts available; families and reporters are awaiting full confirmations from the Tennessee Department of Health and TEMA.

For Decatur County residents, the practical actions are clear: follow local emergency management instructions and seek assistance if needed. Flash Report #4 explicitly advises: "Contact your local emergency management agency if you need immediate assistance." State officials have directed the public to TEMA’s Winter Ready resources for safety guidance and updates, and local partners are operating warming locations and welfare-check programs where capacity exists.

What this means for readers is continued disruption while utilities and emergency services prioritize power restoration and welfare checks. Stay in touch with Decatur County emergency management, check on elderly neighbors and relatives, and use official channels for shelter and transport assistance as crews work to restore normal service.