State Representative John Gillespie today expressed his frustration with widespread power outages Memphians have faced over the past month. A powerful storm on June 25 knocked out power to over 150,000 MLGW customers. Thousands were without power for a week or more. Just two days ago, a line of severe thunderstorms again resulted in about 150,000 Shelby County homes and businesses losing power for at least a few hours.
Gillespie voiced concerns over public safety and lost economic opportunities caused by the power outages. “Dark homes are much more inviting to burglars than well-lit properties. The economy is suffering too as businesses close when they have no power to process transactions,” lamented Gillespie.
“The power outages our community has faced since late June are frustrating,” Gillespie stated. “MLGW crews are working long hours to restore power to Memphians, but we need to be more proactive to reduce both the frequency and scale of these storm-related power outages,” remarked Gillespie.
Overgrown vegetation is responsible for around half of recent power outages. Gillespie says he plans to speak with other leaders in state government and MLGW administrators to see what can be done to ramp up tree trimming. “I’ve had multiple power outages at my home this year. I’ve had to throw out everything in my refrigerator, so I have the same frustrations as my East Memphis neighbors. I’m going to do all I can to try and solve this challenge,” said Gillespie.
Representative Gillespie serves as Chairman of the Shelby County legislative delegation in Nashville. He represents House District 97 which includes much of East Memphis and part of Cordova. More information about Gillespie may be found by visiting VoteJohnGillespie.com.