'Like a bomb went off': ESPN's Kirk Herbstreit describes ice storm in the South

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If you've watched college football in the past 20 years or so, or the NFL on prime recently,

and you've seen, or at least heard, analyst Kirk Herbstreet breaking down plays and tendencies,

and providing color for fans watching at home.

Well, on Tuesday, Herbstreet took some time out of his schedule to talk to AccuWeather

about a different topic.

Herbstreet is a Nashville, Tennessee resident, an area hard hit by the ice storm that swept

through the south and the southeast two weekends ago to talk about his and his family's

experience.

Thousands of families in the Nashville area faced more than a week without power in

frigid weather after the biggest winter storm of the season brought Arctic air and dangerous

ice to the south.

The southern side of a massive winter storm produced significant ice accumulations, snapping

trees and power lines, and heavily straining electricity infrastructure across the region

from January 23rd through the 26th.

Now, Herbstreet told AccuWeather on Tuesday, I had never seen anything like it.

During peak impacts, over 1 million customers were left without power as heavy ice-coated

lines and poles with Mississippi and Tennessee being the hardest hitstates, icy roads and

bridges compounded the risks making traveled hazardous and slowing emergency response efforts.

The storm knocked out power across large portions of the Nashville area and left neighborhoods

impassable for days.

The number of customers in the dark has gone down slowly with 400,000 without power on January

28th, 150,000 still without power on February 3rd.

Now much of that time for those without power has been spent with temperatures below the

freezing mark as Arctic air reloads over the Gulf Coast states.

The Red Cross launched a massive response, sending 2,200 helpers to more than 150 emergency

shelters, where people have been sleeping for warmth, some have even been sleeping in

their cars.

More than 140 people were killed by the storm and the cold that followed it, with 44 of

those in Tennessee and Mississippi.

Fatalities included hypothermia, traffic accidents, and some recreational and home deaths.

Herbstreet is no stranger to harsh winter weather after growing up in Ohio, but the recent

ice storm that slammed middle Tennessee left even him stunned by its scale and destruction.

Herbstreet and his wife were out of town when the storm struck, returning to Nashville

to find downed trees, snapped power lines and blocked roads.

Police had closed off their street entirely, forcing them to stay in a hotel for more than

a week.

Instead, we thought maybe it would be a day or two, they ended up being eight days.

When power was finally restored and they were able to return home, the damage was overwhelming.

Massive trees have been split in half or uprooted entirely by the weight of the ice, crushing

power lines and in some cases crashing into homes.

It looked like a bomb was set off.

Herbstreet set of the darkened streets and debris scattered in every direction.

Ice storms can be especially destructive in the south, where trees often retain more

foliage and soil conditions make uprooting more likely.

Herbstreet said what surprised him most was not just the storm itself, but the sheer

magnitude of the aftermath.

He said, I've seen winter storms on your channel before, but until you see it with your

all-nice, it is really hard to fully appreciate it.

Below freezing temperatures in the days that followed made recovery even more difficult,

with lows dipping into the teens and the single digits, while Herbstreet's home avoided

major structural damage, others in his neighborhood were not as fortunate with trees smashing

through a few roofs and windows.

Despite the hardship he pointed to one silver lining, the sense of community that emerged

afterwards.

He said, good Samaritans were out with chainsaws just trying to help people drive through

side streets.

Herbstreet checked on elderly residents, shared generators, and coordinated assistance

through group text messages.

Herbstreet said the experience has permanently changed how he views natural disasters, especially

those affecting communities far from the national spotlight.

As Nashville continues its long recovery, Herbstreet hopes people outside the region understand

that the impacts of major winter storms do not end when the headlines fade.

He said there are still people without power right now.

If there is anything any of us can do to help in this disaster or any other, I know I'll

never look at these events the same way again.

And that means any disaster, not just an ice storm.

Sometimes during hurricane season, you see some of these storms and you're just taken

a back by it, and then you get busy with your day.

After experiencing this firsthand, I know I'll be treating disasters very differently,

said, and try to have a greater appreciation for what these folks go through.

That's all for now.

You can find regional forecasts and science-based articles at acuether.com and for your

local forecast at your fingertips, download the Acuether app.

Enjoy the rest of your day.

Be safe.

I'll be back tomorrow with more from Acuether.