Supporting mental health during ice storm ice storm recovery
We will get through this recovery — not by expecting perfection, but by caring for one another through the coldest moments.
Remnants from the 2025 Nashville ice storm
Ice creates havoc in Middle Tennessee, but also leaves beauty in its wake
The ice storm that swept across Middle Tennessee left tens of thousands of families facing more than power loss. It’s shaken their sense of stability.
In our work at Youth Villages, before we can address emotional or behavioral challenges in a family, we must ensure their foundational physiological needs are met. Shelter, food, water and sleep are the bedrock of mental health. But ever since Winter Storm Fern swept into our area, those needs have been threatened for families across every neighborhood and income level.
The families in our intensive in-home services were already struggling but working diligently toward safety and stability. Now, many without extended family nearby or other safety nets will have the emotional impact of the storm compounded by a new financial burden. Their progress has been put on hold, and that’s okay.
How Youth Villages adjusts care in a time of crisis
Our staff has shifted their focus entirely to meet those families’ immediate needs. Before we can talk about therapeutic goals or progress, we are connecting with families every day and asking the most basic questions: Are you warm? Do you have food? Do you have a way to get food? If a family is living in a home that’s 35 degrees, that is the priority. Everything else can wait.
We have reassigned cases so staff members with power can support more families and those without can focus on their own. We are paying for hotel rooms for both families and staff who need a warm place to stay. Crisis teams from West and East Tennessee are taking calls and providing telehealth sessions to ensure no young person in crisis is left without support. And when families can safely meet in person, we are doing that too.
This is what it looks like to care for people.
But families still need guidance on how to cope emotionally, especially when the uncertainty of power restoration fuels anxiety for both children and adults. So here is what I want all Middle Tennessee families to do right now:
How to find emotional stability during ice storm recovery
Give yourself permission to focus only on basic needs: This is not the time to worry about academic progress, sports schedules or behavior charts. Your family’s wellbeing depends on warmth, food and safety. Everything else can be rebuilt once stability returns.
Expect heightened anxiety, and know it’s normal: When routines disappear, anxiety rises. Kids feel it. Parents feel it. The unknowns of when the power will come back on and how long we will be displaced and out of school make it harder. Acknowledge the stress without adding pressure to “stay positive” every moment.
Use temporary coping tools: These won’t solve the long‑term challenges of the stress you’re facing, but they help regulate emotions in the moment. Try slow-breathing exercises; movement or stretching; simple distractions like puzzles, games or drawing; and short walks outside, if it’s safe. These small resets matter.
Try to make the most of the time together: Unexpected togetherness can be stressful, but it can also be grounding. Even a few minutes of connection — reading together, playing a game, sharing a meal — can help children feel secure when everything else feels uncertain.
Remember recovery is already underway: Each day, more homes regain power and routines inch closer to normal. The crisis will end, even if the timeline is unclear. And when it does, community organizations like Youth Villages will still be here to help families navigate the emotional aftermath.
The hard work of supporting children and families will continue long after the ice melts. But right now, our message is simple: Take care of your basic needs, give yourself grace and know that you are not alone. If someone in your family is struggling with a mental health crisis, call or text 988 to connect with a mental health professional 24/7.
We will get through this — not by expecting perfection, but by caring for one another through the coldest moments.
As Executive Director at Youth Villages, Brittany Farrar manages all community-based programs in Middle Tennessee, as well as statewide mobile crisis services for children and youth, and the organization’s expansion of transition age youth services in Arizona.
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