On advice from the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency, Gov. Bill Haslam has raised the emergency level in the state to level II.
In a release issued Saturday afternoon, TEMA said the decision was based on “reports of major impacts to infrastructure, power and roads as a result of the overnight snow and ice storm and the current heavy rain in the state.”
Trees break and bend from the weather in this TDOT photo.According to the release, the heaviest impacts have been reported in the Cumberland Plateau area, with heavy damage reports and power outages in Cumberland, Fentress, Overton, Putnam, and White counties.
A level II state of emergency classifies the event as a “major disaster,” and is defined in the state code as an event that will “likely exceed local capabilities and require a broad range of state and federal assistance.”
The state had been in a level III state of emergency since Feb. 16.