A brutal arctic blast gripping Tennessee has left thousands without power. To make matters worse, the affected citizens are in for even more cold, as the conditions are expected to deteriorate. As an eight-day power outage plunged his Nashville neighborhood into darkness, ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit’s thoughts turned to those who couldn’t simply tough it out: the elderly.

Herbstreit, a Nashville resident since June 2025, is among the scores of people dealing with the damage of the brutal winter storm that wrecked the South last weekend. Snow, rain, and ice have made the region a frigid nightmare for citizens, with temperatures going below twenty degrees in many cities.

“Our street is on Day 8 now with no power. Worried about the many of the elderly in my area. Hoping for good news soon,” Herbstreit posted on X. In the same post, he also thanked the people working to improve the services. “Thank you to the linemen out there working in temps that feel like 7 degrees. We appreciate you all very much!” he said.

The state has lost 85 people to this winter storm. With no electricity, access to heating, food, and medical facilities has become the top priority for vulnerable residents. Thankfully, officials have been checking in. As per reports, the police and firefighters have been dropping by the homes of older people whose families couldn’t reach them.

Local 3 News reported that around 88,000 homes were without power in Tennessee. Officials have been working since last weekend to restore power, but 65,000 customers remain without electricity, Nashville Electric Service told the media. It has deployed 963 linemen to fix the downed lines, but power won’t return soon amid the second winter storm.

Nobody in Tennessee or the affected states was prepared for the toll the weather would take on their communities. Trees have fallen on roads, snow has piled up on doorsteps, and travel has stalled. Kirk Herbstreit couldn’t help but give his followers a look at how bad things truly were in another tweet.

“Almost can’t believe what this town (and I know many others in this region) have gone through,” he shared on January 30. “The ice storm was devastating and will take months to clean up and years to recover from. Our street looks like a bomb exploded-complete devastation!”

The pause that hit everyday life in the region continues to get longer. The storm’s impact has stretched beyond homes and infrastructure, creating significant disruptions for the region’s college football programs as well.

College football recruiting takes a hit amid winter storm

The cold in the South delivered a tough blow to college football recruiting. Schools like Texas Tech and Baylor had to cancel their big recruiting events scheduled for last weekend. Wake Forest, Memphis, and NC State had to cancel their Junior Day programs due to the bad weather. Texas A&M saw some elite high school prospects withdraw from their visits to College Station, too.

College football recruiting has also entered a dead period from February 2 to March 1. During this time, in-person contact between programs and players is prohibited. Cold weather and travel problems have clearly set these programs back a little in the 2027 cycle. Tennessee has to pick up its pace here; it currently ranks 16th in the country with only 4 total commits.

As communities and college programs alike wait for the storm to pass, the concerns voiced by figures like Herbstreit highlight the widespread and unexpected challenges the arctic blast has inflicted on the region.