Thompson Power Responds to Community Needs After Nashville Bombing
It was around 6:30 in the morning, Friday, December 25th, 2020. Thompson Power Representative Greg Moore was just beginning to open Christmas gifts with his children when he saw the news: A bomb exploded in downtown Nashville, right next to the electrical room at AT&T’s data center. Immediately, Greg knew there would be extensive damage to the power grid and the dangerous, state-wide implications of such a power outage.
Right away, he called his contact at TEMA, the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency, and told them to, “Let us know if there’s anything we can do to help.” Not long after, Greg was put in touch with an AT&T employee, who placed a rapid rental order for five XQ2000 Cat generators from Thompson Power. Within a few hours, Greg and Thompson Power had the Cat generators on-site, along with 228 cables, plus additional Thompson Power technicians to help monitor and assist in getting everything back up and running. With 911 emergency phone systems down throughout Tennessee, Alabama, and Kentucky, not to mention general phone, internet, and television service largely inactive, getting the data center powered back up as quickly as possible was top priority for the Thompson Power team.
Not long after their arrival, the Thompson Power team aided in getting AT&T systems partially back up online, and by Sunday morning, 90% of AT&T systems and services were fully restored. Thompson Power technicians remain on-site at the scene and are continuously monitoring the area, fueling generators numerous times a day, and ensuring everything continues to run smoothly. All in all, since the incident, seven Thompson Power technicians have rotated in and out working at the site.
Looking back on the event, Greg relates, “It was definitely a wild day. But when I saw the news that morning, I knew they’d need help, and they’d need it fast. And at Thompson, supporting our customers and our communities is what we’re all about. Whether it’s just another Monday morning, or it’s a Christmas morning emergency, we’re going to be there. You can count on us.”
