As Winter Storm Fern left thousands without power, Selah Torralba and TIRRC mobilized to protect and support Nashville’s immigrant community.
Alice Ornes
| Guest Columnist
This article was originally published by the Students United News Network (SUNN) in the first citywide student-led newspaper in the USA, Nashville SUNN (NashvilleSUNN.com).
On the morning of Jan. 24, as Winter Storm Fern took down trees and powerlines and covered our city in a thick layer of ice, most Nashvillians sheltered indoors and found whatever warmth they could.
Selah Torralba, the advocacy manager at the Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition, worried that many of the families she worked with would not be so lucky.
For Torralba, the weekend was a blur as she scrambled to support Nashville’s immigrant community through this crisis. While the storm was anticipated, the severity of its effects was not, and more than 200,000 residents were left without power or heat in freezing cold temperatures.
As temperatures plunged, anxiety rose
Additionally, the murder of Alex Pretti by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials in Minneapolis days prior on Jan. 24, 2026, had increased the tension, grief and fear felt by Nashville’s immigrant community.
When the storm hit, TIRCC — and Torralba — had to find a way to curb fear and provide as much relief as possible with very limited resources.
Due to the escalating presence of ICE in U.S. cities and towns, immigrants around the country have become increasingly vulnerable, and the danger of the storm exacerbated their risk and worry.
TIRRC quickly mobilized as the scale of the crisis became clear
On the Sunday Fern hit, Torralba and her TIRRC colleagues began meeting online from their homes and building an action plan. By Monday, they had begun reaching out to the residents in the neighborhoods they serve, assessing resources and needs, and recruiting volunteers. By Tuesday, TIRRC volunteers were in the field knocking on doors to check on neighbors, calling hotels to find emergency lodging and delivering food.
Torralba faced many obstacles as she tried to coordinate logistics to provide the necessary support. Countless hotels had no rooms available, and it was nerve-wracking and daunting to try to fill such a great need with such limited resources. With over 230,000 people without power, Nashville’s resources were already stretched thin.
Meals delivered, beds found, hope restored
Through Torralba’s outreach, the Nashville community came through to support one another. The impact of TIRCC’s actions is evident in the numbers: Within nine days after the storm hit, TIRCC had distributed over 1,000 meals, housed over 200 people and recruited over 400 volunteers to check on their neighbors through door-knocking and phone banking.
“Acts of community care like this give me hope and remind me of how we need each other, not just in times of crisis, but every day,” said Torralba.
Recovery isn’t over and neither is the need for community
These actions have been much more impactful than just providing relief; they have reinforced the strength and unity of the Nashville community. According to Torralba, everyone who received aid or support from TIRCC was hopeful, thankful and ready to offer whatever they could to help their neighbors.
This spirit of generosity, Torralba says, is what makes the Nashville community strong. Going forward, TIRRC will continue to provide support as the storm’s lasting effects persist and community members continue to recover.
Alice Ornes is a junior at Hume Fogg and the president of her school’s chapter of Students Demand Action. The Nashville SUNN (NashvilleSUNN.com) is the first citywide student-led newspaper in the U.S. and a publication of the Students United News Network.