MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Just one week after more than 120,000 MLGW customers were left without power from a bout of severe storms in Shelby County, thousands more find themselves without power Monday after a second round of storms.
MLGW said, at its peak, Sunday's pop-up thunderstorms caused 35,000 new outages overnight, and more than 14,000 are still without power Monday afternoon. MLGW said most of these are in Collierville and Germantown.
MLGW President Doug McGowen spoke out Monday about criticism to Memphis' often fragile power grid, saying he doesn't want people to get discouraged.
"I don't want customers to lose hope," McGowen said. "It is going to get better; the system is going to be more resilient."
McGowen also said Monday that MLGW's board of commissioners approved a $200 million funding request over five years to help get the utility back on a three-year tree trimming cycle. The Memphis City Council has to approve next for the funding to go into effect.
MLGW said customers still without power from the June 25 storms will be top priority for crews to restore, but they are surveying the entire service area for new damage, saying toppled trees which downed power lines are the main culprit for outages.
The utility company said most of the remaining outages from June 25 were concentrated in Shelby Forest, Ellendale-Bartlett and Fisherville areas.
MLGW wanted to remind residents to call 211 for help with emergency shelter and food, information on cooling centers and other social services.
Customers who receive SNAP benefits can apply for replacement benefits with the state of Tennessee.
