LENOIR CITY, Tenn. — The Lenoir City Utilities Board said high winds Monday night and into Tuesday morning caused "severe damage" to its power lines. Crews worked overnight repairing those lines, turning power back on for thousands of people.
LCUB said fallen trees hit its main power supply, knocking out power for around 1,700 customers. It said while it was a mild outage, it also served as a wake-up call and a reminder that situations could worsen if more severe weather hits over the winter.
"We always try to make sure we're adequately supplied. But if not, we'll ask outside companies to help bring in needed supplies, or whatever it is we may need here," said Jeremy Walden, the director of engineering operations at LCUB.
The Tennessee Department of Transportation said workers will be on standby Tuesday night and Wednesday morning for flooded roads.
"We are going to have our crews on stand-by this evening all across East Tennessee. The concern right now is these high winds and possible flooding," said Mark Nagi, a TDOT spokesperson.
When driving in these conditions and the days following severe weather, TDOT advises drivers to make sure they're taking extreme caution. Drivers should slow down and leave more room in front of them.
"When you're driving around curves, be extra careful because it's very possible that there could be some trees down," said Nagi.