Thousands of Sevier Co. residents remain in dark without power

SEVIER CO., Tenn. (WVLT) - Following East Tennessee’s first snowfall of 2022, thousands of people remain in the dark without power in Sevier County as multiple crews are working diligently to change that.

Around 30,000 people in Sevier County were without at the height of outages. A day later, 14,000 of those are still struggling to stay warm until their electricity is fixed.

WVLT News spoke to Chief Financial Officer for Sevier County Electric Stanley Stiles, who said crews are working non-stop to get power back up and running. Crews are entering more damaged areas, which makes work go slower, he said.

The damage crews are seeing is spread out, Stiles said. He told WVLT News that he hopes to have everyone’s power back up by the end of the week.

As of Tuesday morning, multiple electric crews, including one out on Dodgen Way and East Street in the Wears Valley area, were working to resolve the outage.

One resident told WVLT News that his power was turned back on yesterday, but he’s waiting for his rental properties’ electricity to be restored. Another said he had to stay in his car due to the cold weather and the lack of heat in his home. In the meantime, he said he was charging his phone and keeping warm.

A cabin maintenance worker helped guests get out of their cabins on Monday morning following unexpected snow, as some were without power and temperatures were beginning to fall.

“I feel bad for all the people that don’t have power. I hope we can get that on. Hope that the first responders and the linemen out there are being safe because I know it’s not easy weather for them,” explained Delangis.

Experts warn you to stay safe and be cautious as black ice, slippery conditions, and downed trees can still be a concern if you are out traveling.

Outages can be checked on Sevier County Electric System website.

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