Industry's Round-the-Clock Restoration Critical During Winter Storm Fern
Tens of thousands of mutual assistance workers responded to Winter Storm Fern, which blanketed much of the Southern and Eastern United States in dangerous weather conditions.
The electric power industry in January activated its largest mutual assistance effort since Hurricanes Helene and Milton in 2024.
More than 65,000 workers from at least 44 states deployed in response to Winter Storm Fern, according to EEI. The storm brought frigid arctic air, heavy snowfall, and icy conditions to more than 200 million Americans.
Through the CEO-led Electricity Subsector Coordinating Council, EEI and industry leaders coordinated with the highest levels of government, including at the U.S. Departments of Energy and Homeland Security, to ensure unity of effort in responding to the storm and restoring power to impacted communities.
EEI recently joined the American Public Power Association and the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association in issuing a joint press release highlighting the breadth of industry response, explaining the mutual assistance process, and outlining how electric companies partner during extreme weather to keep customers safe.
Read the full release below, and visit eei.org for the latest updates on Winter Storm Fern.
Electric Power Industry Mobilizes, Coordinates Closely on Winter Storm Fern Response
WASHINGTON (January 29, 2026) – Winter Storm Fern brought heavy snow and damaging ice from the Southwest through the Mid-Atlantic as forecasted. The electric power industry mobilized quickly ahead of the storm, with more than 65,000 workers from at least 44 states ready to begin damage assessments and restorations as soon as it was safe to do so.
While impacted investor-owned electric companies, electric cooperatives, and public power utilities already have restored power to nearly 750,000 customers as of 9:00 a.m. (ET), work continues around-the-clock, especially in the communities that saw between 1 and 2 inches of destructive ice accumulations.
“This unified effort includes close coordination with federal, state, and local officials who share the goal of safely restoring power as quickly as possible,” said Edison Electric Institute (EEI) President and CEO Drew Maloney. “The massive mutual assistance mobilization has ensured we have enough workers in place, with crews shared across the region and reassigned to the next priority as soon as they wrap up work. We also greatly appreciate the efforts of federal and state leaders to deploy additional road- and tree-clearing resources into the hardest-hit communities.”
Last night, the CEO-led Electricity Subsector Coordinating Council convened its third call with senior officials from the Department of Energy, the Department of Homeland Security, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, and the White House to receive updates directly from the most impacted electricity providers.
“In the wake of Winter Storm Fern, the Department of Energy remains committed to doing everything in our power to mitigate blackouts and lower energy costs for the American people,” said U.S. Department of Energy Deputy Secretary James P. Danly. “Thanks to the work of our industry partners, mutual assistance crews are restoring power as quickly and safely as possible across the country. Since Winter Storm Fern began on January 24, the Department has issued 8 emergency orders to stabilize the electric grid across impacted regions—the Department is using all of the available tools at our disposal to mitigate power outages and save lives.”
Workers continue to face dangerously cold temperatures, treacherous roads, and falling trees and branches, requiring significant safety precautions to be taken. In many cases, trees are falling in areas that already were restored, causing new outages. It is essential that customers stay off the roads to let local public works teams and industry crews do their jobs safely and efficiently.
“The men and women who are out in these frigid conditions trying to get the lights back on are nothing short of heroes,” said American Public Power Association (APPA) President and CEO Scott Corwin. “Many of them have traveled from outside of the affected regions, joining the around-the-clock effort to get the power on for everyone as quickly and safely as possible.”
The energy grid is highly interconnected, and even if customers do not see crews in their neighborhoods or on their streets yet, essential repairs are underway.
“Electric co-op crews from across the nation continue working heroically to rebuild their systems in the wake of Winter Storm Fern,” said National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA) CEO Jim Matheson. “Crews are working as quickly and safely as possible to restore power in unprecedented conditions. The ongoing collaboration within the electric co-op network and across industry and government continues to be essential as we work together to recover from this storm.”
Customer and worker safety remains the top priority. Customers should never use portable generators or grills indoors or in other enclosed areas where lethal fumes can accumulate. Customers also are reminded to remain vigilant against suspicious text messages or scammers demanding cash or app payments in exchange for restoration services.
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