August 4
9:45 p.m.
We understand it is frustrating to be without power. Our crews are working tirelessly in adverse conditions to bring everyone back online. To help in that effort, more mutual aid crews have become available and have arrived.
Crews 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 expected. 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.
Based on the new information from our crews, we are working, as we speak, to refine our estimated restoration times for customers who are still without power. These estimates could change. As we learn more, you could receive subsequent communications from us.
We pledge to continue working every day, in force, until every customer’s power is restored.
11:15 a.m. – AN IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT: Yesterday, we sent targeted phone messages to customers without power with our best estimates of when we believe we can restore their service.
If you are still without electricity and did NOT receive one of these messages, please contact us as soon as possible to report your outage. We want to be absolutely certain that we are not missing anyone, and you can help us do that.
Report outages at OPPD.com, through our OPPDConnect app, or by calling 1-800-554-OPPD (6773).
And please remember to be safe as temperatures rise today. Stay hydrated and seek air conditioning if you need it. We have a list of cooling stations at the bottom of this post. Our crews, contractors and mutual aid partners are still out today, and we aren’t stopping until everyone is restored.
9:30 a.m. – At this time, we have about 40,700 customers still without power as OPPD and mutual aid crews continue complex restoration work. Outage numbers will fluctuate due to some new outages we’ve seen as a result of trees. limbs or other objects weakened by the storm and giving way, interfering with power equipment.
We’ve been asking you to tell us about any new outages that pop up so that we’re aware and can respond. This is crucial to restoring your power. Please do not assume that because homes and businesses are getting their power back that you will soon, too, even if you haven’t reported it. Even if there is damage all around you, it doesn’t mean you’d be without power. Outage causes can vary greatly from one location to the next, even if they are right nextdoor to one another. Even if your outage seems obvious, you must report it to us so that we know and can troubleshoot the cause to make repairs.
You can report your outages to us at OPPD.com, through our OPPDConnect app, or by calling 1-800-554-OPPD (6773).
Our customers may see multiple crew members walking around in their area when their power has not yet been repaired and wonder what they are doing. It’s part of our restoration process in the kinds of complex repairs happening right now. Our team is making assessments and fixing backbone infrastructure first. Then they will get closer to the service lines that feed customers’ homes. Different crew members have different roles, and their work must be done in a specific order.
Repairs are prioritized on those that will restore the most customers first, on down to house-to-house repairs. OPPD made automated phone calls Saturday to customers for whom we have rough estimates of when their power will be back. We wanted to give you our best guess based on what we know right now because we know you need to make plans. If you did not receive a phone call, we may still be working on a timeline for your area or we may not have updated contact information. To provide us with current phone number if we do not have it, click here.
- Our goal is to restore power to at least 32,000 customers by the end of the weekend, barring any unforeseen issues (based on where numbers stood Saturday morning).
- Approximately 12,600 more customers should expect restoration by the end of Monday, barring any unforeseen issues.
- Approximately 5,800 more customers should expect power restoration by the end of Wednesday, barring any unforeseen issues.
There may be some cases where customers need to hire a licensed and bonded electrician to take care of damage. The utility takes care of the wires that lead from the power pole to the point just before they enter a home’s conduit system. But homeowners are responsible for any damage to meter sockets or power poles attached to their house. Click here to learn more. 
We understand that it’s hot and incredibly difficult to be without power for so long, and our hearts go out to our customers who are struggling right now. Please know that we are working as hard as we can safely to bring your electricity back and restore some normalcy to your lives. With the extreme heat expected today, please see information in the below post about available resources including cooling centers to help.
6:30 a.m. – OPPD’s restoration work is pushing into its fourth full day with additional mutual aid teams arriving today to help us bring power back to 42,739 customers who remain without power this morning. Nearly 35,000 of those are in Douglas County. About 6,500 are in Sarpy County. Cass County has 721 still without power, and customers are also without power in Saunders, Otoe, Washington and Pottawattamie Counties.
These outages are either a direct result of Wednesday evening’s storms or aftereffects, where trees, limbs, or other things weakened by the intitial storm, caused outages later on. We remind customers to continue to report new outages so that we are aware and can respond. You can do so at OPPD.com, through our OPPDConnect app, or by calling 1-800-554-OPPD (6773).
The outages we’re seeing are not more heavily concentrated in any specific parts of town but scattered throughout counties. What crews are dealing with at this point in the restoration work are more complex repairs where it’s taking a longer time to restore power to a fewer number of customers. For previous restoration updates, click here.
OPPD made automated phone calls Saturday to customers for whom we have rough estimates of when their power will be back. If you did not receive a phone call, we may still be working on a timeline for your area or we may not have updated contact information. To provide us with a current phone number if we do not have it, click here.
A heat advisory in effect today beginning at 1 p.m. We want to remind our customers still without power to stay hydrated and seek air conditioning if possible. Our crews will be taking similar precautions. You may see them taking breaks in their cooled vehicles for safety reasons. This does not mean they are letting up on their critical work. We’d ask that you please refrain from approaching them wherever they are. They need to maintain complete focus, particularly when they are near dangerous power equipment. They’re working as hard as they safely can to bring your power back.
Community groups in the Omaha area are offering help to residents who are still without power. In Omaha, Armbrust YMCA has opened its doors to anyone without power who may need a shower or to get out of the heat. If you are not a member of the YMCA, you will need to bring your state ID. And below is a list of some cooling locations open to the public today to provide some relief.
