Omaha storm recovery: OPPD reports more strides made, but full power restoration could take until Friday (2024)

Omaha to map debris pickup progress; Cox offers wifi hotspots while servicing internet service outages

Published: Aug. 5, 2024 at 11:15 AM CDT|Updated: Aug. 5, 2024 at 9:03 PM CDT

OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT) - While many have sat in lines to drop their debris at sites around the Omaha-metro in the days since severe weather took out several large trees throughout the area, others in Omaha have been eagerly awaiting debris pick-up from residential areas.

The City of Omaha released an online map showing residents how Public Works crews are doing with those storm debris pick-ups.

The map was unveiled at Mayor Jean Stothert’s news conference on Monday to update residents on recovery efforts since Wednesday’s massive windstorm. The mayor said Monday that a disaster proclamation had been filed with the county and the state on Friday, which will help release funds to assist with the city’s recovery from last week’s severe storm.

The toughest news to hear at the news conference was that all power outages might not be cleared until the end of the week. OPPD CEO Javier Fernandez said that while the public utility expected to have half of the remainin 18,000 or so remaining outages to be fixed by the end of the day Tuesday, it could take until Friday for the rest to be restored.

Omaha Police Chief Todd Schmaderer was also at the news conference, giving an update on police activities in the days since the storm. Kim Rowell, vice president of field operations for Cox Communications; Omaha Parks Director Matt Kalcevich; and Jim Theiler from Omaha Public Works.

FULL VIDEO: Mayor Jean Stothert held a news conference with other officials at 2:30 p.m. Monday to update recovery and clean-up efforts. [WATCH]

POWER RESTORATION

Fernandez said that 1,500 people have been working in the area — in dangerous heat — to get power back on those still dealing with outages from Wednesday’s storm.

“I am sorry,” the OPPD CEO said. “I’m sorry that your power is out. It’s not fun to be without power. It’s dangerous. I want to acknowledge that.”

Fernandez said that beyond critical infrastructure — like hospitals and emergency services — certain areas are not prioritized over others.

He also said that OPPD has been looking at putting more lines underground, where that makes sense. But it’s not a simple process, and it’s not always a feasible process.

He said that OPPD services about 407,000 meters; at the peak of the outage in the aftermath of the storm, about 220,000 meters — more than half — were out.

“No resource is being spared,” he said. “We need to bring powper on as soon as we possibly can.”

Fernandez said that crews have been working tirelessly — 16-hour shifts across five consective days — to get power restored. Some crews will continue to work overnight, he said, but in a limited capacity.

“It’s hard, and its dangerous to work in the dark,” he said.

They also need their rest, but return in earnest the next morning at 6 a.m.

He asked that residents leave crews alone when they see them out working.

“Distractions really slow things down,” he said.

Feel free to thank them, he said, but leave them to their work.

Many utility workers from all over the state have shown up to help get power restored across the Omaha-metro. Fernandez said he told Gov. Jim Pille that “Nebraska is showing up strong.”

Crews from Chicago and Kansas City have also come to help out.

Storm damage comparison

OPPD has called last Wednesday’s storm “historic,” noting that the damages they’ve repaired in just the first four days since had exceeded the total number of repairs done after a severe storm in July 2021.

Source: OPPD

The strides power crews have made since last week’s major storm were of little consolation to the nearly 25,000 in the Omaha-metro still sitting without power on Monday, particularly as temperatures continued to climb again.

As of 10:30 a.m. Monday, there were 24,552 Omaha Public Power District customers still without electricity: 20,578 in Douglas County, 3,623 in Sarpy; 181 in Saunders; and 96 in Cass. That total was down from 27,650 outages reported at 6:30 a.m.

At 4:20 p.m., OPPD was reporting those numbers were at 18,525, with 16,729 in Douglas County; 1,643 in Sarpy; and 104 in Saunders. At 8:30 p.m., those outages were down to 15,603 with 14,582 still without power in Douglas County; 896 in Sarpy; 95 in Saunders; and 24 in Cass.

OPPD said that earlier update on its website that crews were encountering more difficult conditions in some areas than expected.

“Our folks in the field are seeing worse and more widespread damage than previously thought. The extent of the damage makes the fixes more complex and take much longer than expe cted. The path of damage from Wednesday’s storm was incredibly widespread, more so than any storm we’ve experienced before, including in 2021. That storm was the worst in OPPD’s history in terms of outages before Wednesday.”

The utility sent out an automated phone message on Saturday notifying some customers still without power that they were targeting Sunday for restoration, but that didn’t come to pass for everyone. Based on outage numbers from Saturday morning, they were estimating 12,600 others would have power restored on Monday, with the remaining 5,800 restored by Wednesday.

OPPD said in an update at 9:45 p.m. Sunday they would “refine our estimated restoration times for customers who are still without power,” noting that even those estimates could change, and promising subsequent communications.

Additional mutual aid crews arrived Sunday to assist with restoration work.

OPPD has said that Wednesday’s storm resulted in about 218,000 outages; in the wake of the storm their website was reporting more than 220,000 customers without power.

Report outages

OPPD asked those without power who had not received any such notification to report their outage so they won’t be overlooked. They’ve also asked that any new outages that occur after power is initially restored also get reported.

Outages can be reported at OPPD.com, through the OPPDConnect app, or by calling 1-800-554-OPPD (6773).

DEBRIS COLLECTION

Mayor Stothert said it could take weeks — even until Labor Day — to get all debris cleared from the city.

Starting around noon Thursday, Public Works crews will be picking up curbside debris and paper bags, which don’t have to have the sticker on the first pass, Stothert said. They ask that residents don’t put debris into old or other containers — just put them right out on the curb.

The mayor said the regular trash collection may be delayed because of extra items getting thrown out in the aftermath of the storm. She said that FCC will also pick up paper bags, but FCC does require the stickers.

“This is a process. This was a terrible terrible storm,” the mayor said.

Chief Schmaderer said that in the immediacy of the storm Wednesday night, 911 had 200 calls holding.

In the aftermath, OPD has been coordinating with the Douglas County Sherrif’s Office to assist at debris sites, which will remain open until Aug. 14. At that point, the city will revaluate whether there is a need to keep them open longer, the mayor said.

Police have also been working traffic control in busy areas without traffic signals and to keep the public safe in places where there are wires down or other hazards.

Stothert said there haven’t been any reports of any widespread incidents, but that there had been reports on neighborhood social apps that three individuals in ski masks carrying crowbars and baseball bats in areas without power near 108th Street and West Maple Road. OPD looked into those reports, and have been on alert doing extra patroling in areas still affected by outages.

Officials are urging residents to call 211 for help so that the city has an understanding of what residents need most.

Stothert cautioned about spreading misinformation, noting that city employees aren’t treating any areas with preference, and that city crews aren’t removing trees from people’s yards for free in any part of the city.

INTERNET RESTORATION

Cox Cable had 40% of their customers lose internet access in Wednesday’s storm; as of Monday afternoon, 94% of those customers have been restored. She said that Cox’s outage estimate is in the thousands.

She noted that Cox crews can’t work on their restoration until OPPD finishes theirs.

“We follow power,” she said.

But in many cases damage beyond power outages is making it difficult to get internet restored.

Cox has had employees working 10-12-hour days since the storm, with many of those employees also dealing with power outages at home, too.

Cox has opened 600 wifi hotspots — called “Cox wifi” — across the metro that anyone can access with their devices. [MAP]

Some of the network upstream, equipment that powers residential areas, might be dealing with power outages, which will also cause internet outages. She said Cox does have some generators working to keep many of those lines powered.

Cox had 1,200 outages reported, and urges anyone who hasn’t yet reported their outage to call 402-933-3000 to get on their list. Cox will pro-rate bills for those who call and ask them to.

Cox will also provide 300 free tickets to Outlandia music festival in Bellevue for responders and utility workers as a thank you.

COOLING CENTERS

The Salvation Army has two cooling centers open Monday for those needing a place to go for relief, particularly those still without power.

North Corps, located at 2424 Pratt St., will be open 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Kroc Center Omaha, located at 2825 Y St., will be open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE

STORM DAMAGE

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Reporter Bella Caracta contributed to this report.

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Clarification: A previous version of this story contained unclear language about when Omaha curbside debris cleanup begins.

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