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Nashville, Tenn (March 17, 2026) – Members of the Metro Council Public Health and Safety Committee are announcing the creation of a new Emergency Preparedness Working Group on Tuesday to help strengthen communication, coordination, and readiness among members of the Metropolitan Council during emergencies.
The purpose of the working group will be to ensure council members have ready access to key resources, response protocols, and clear procedures for a range of emergency situations that can impact Nashville residents and neighborhoods. This includes events such as house or apartment fires, tornadoes, flooding incidents, winter storms, and other incidents where timely information and coordinated action are critical. Events such as those focused on nefarious intent (i.e. terrorist attacks, bombings, etc.) will also be within the scope of this committee.
The working group will serve as a resource to help council members better understand what assistance is available, how to connect residents with the right departments and services, and what steps should be taken in the immediate aftermath of an emergency.
“In moments of crisis, residents often turn first to the council office they know and trust. This working group is about making sure council members are equipped with the most up to date information, the right contacts, and a clear understanding of available resources so they can respond quickly and help connect people to the support residents need,” said Council Member Jordan Huffman, Chair of the Metro Council Public Health and Safety Committee.
“Council Members have been relaying community feedback and suggesting process improvements to Metro departments and stakeholders during and after a wide variety of tragedies in recent years, including the December 2023 tornado, summer 2024 and spring 2025 flash floods, a summer 2025 apartment fire, and the 2026 ice storm. It is important for the Council Office to aggregate this information so the Council may learn from fellow members’ experience and, in future emergencies, have the same best-practice resources at their disposal,” said Vice Mayor & Metro Council President Angie E. Henderson.
Additional details, including the date of the first meeting, will be announced in the coming weeks.
Working Groups may be established by Chairs of the Council’s Standing Committees in conference with the Vice Mayor, provided there is a clear statement of purpose, specific goals, and a limited timeframe for the work of the group. Reports of these groups for the 2023-2027 Council term can be found here.
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