Saturday, April 27, 11:56 a.m.
Nebraska Public Power District is sending a 22-man team to Omaha to help OPPD restore power to customers following Friday's severe weather.
Two supervisors and 20 technicians left Saturday morning to provide mutual aid. The line technicians responding are from NPPD operations in Aurora, Kearney, O'Neill, Plattsmouth, South Sioux City and York.
We're working as quickly as we can to restore power to those who are still affected. This process is likely to take some time, however, due to the complexity of the remaining work and various challenges created by the storm.
As of 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, we have restored power to
59% of our customers who were affected by outages during the storm. There are still
4,148 customers without power. The four regions hit hardest were the
Elkhorn, Bennington, Blair areas, as well as around Eppley Airfield.
The National Weather Service warned that eastern Nebraska could face more severe weather this afternoon and evening, including possible strong winds, hail and additional tornadoes. The areas at highest risk are south of Interstate 80.
The probability diminishes for areas further to the north. The chances of a strong tornado along the Kansas border are about 10%, and the odds in the Omaha and Lincoln areas are 5-10%.
We understand that many of our customers were severely impacted by the violent storms that battered our area yesterday afternoon and evening, with a number of homes and businesses destroyed. Our hearts go out to those displaced or affected by these storms. We know it will be a long road ahead.
We want to stress again that our top priority is the safety of the public and our workers. If you come across a downed power line, always assume it’s live and extremely dangerous. Stay far back and call 911 or OPPD at 1-800-554-OPPD (6773).
Sábado 27 de Abril, 11:56 a.m.
Nebraska Public Power District enviará a un equipo de 22 personas a Omaha para ayudar a OPPD a restaurar energía de los clientes luego del clima severo del viernes.
Dos supervisores y 20 técnicos parten el sábado por la mañana para proveer ayuda mutuamente. Los técnicos de línea que responden pertenecen a las operaciones de NPPD en Aurora, Kearney, O'Neill, Plattsmouth, South Sioux City y York.
Estamos trabajando lo más rápido que podemos para restablecer el suministro eléctrico a quienes aún están afectados. Sin embargo, es probable que este proceso lleve algún tiempo debido a la complejidad del trabajo restante y a los diversos desafíos creados por la tormenta.
A partir de las 10:30a.m. del sábado, restablecimos el suministro eléctrico al
59% de nuestros clientes que se vieron afectados por cortes durante la tormenta. Aún hay
4,148 clientes sin electricidad. Las cuatro regiones más afectadas fueron
las áreas de Elkhorn, Bennington, Blair y alrededor de Eppley Airfield.
El Servicio Meteorológico Nacional advirtió que el este de Nebraska podría enfrentar condiciones climáticas más severas esta tarde y noche. Las áreas de mayor riesgo están al sur del Interestatal 80.
Entendemos que muchos de nuestros clientes se vieron gravemente afectados por las violentas tormentas que azotaron nuestra área ayer por la tarde y por la noche, con varias casas y negocios destruidos. Nuestros corazones están con los desplazados o afectados por estas tormentas. Sabemos que habrá un largo camino por recorrer.
Queremos enfatizar nuevamente que nuestra principal prioridad es la seguridad del público y de nuestros trabajadores. Si se encuentra con una línea eléctrica caída, asuma siempre que está viva y es extremadamente peligrosa. Manténgase alejado y llame al 911 o a OPPD al 1-800-554-OPPD (6773).
Saturday April 27, 9:25 a.m.
We understand that many of our customers were severely impacted by the violent storms that battered our area yesterday afternoon and evening, with a number of homes and businesses destroyed. Our hearts go out to those displaced or impacted by these storms. We know it will be a long road ahead.
Please know that our crews will do all we can to bring power back to those who lost it, as quickly as safely possible. We continue working with our community partners such as local law enforcement, fire department and other first responders.
As of this morning, we have restored 56% of those who lost power during the storm. There are
4,400 customers still without power. This is down from a peak of approximately 10,200 customers at the height of the storms. The four main areas that were hit the hardest were the Elkhorn, Bennington, Blair areas as well as areas around Eppley Airfield.
Our tree crews, troubleshooters, repair crews and downed wire crews worked through the overnight hours in some tough conditions with debris-blocked roadways and other hazards creating challenges. They worked through some tough conditions to try and restore power to those who lost service. They are facing a number of downed power lines and broken poles. And those repairs take time. The remaining outage repair work is complex and time-consuming so the restoration efforts will be slow progressing compared to the first round of restorations.
We want our customers to stay safe, first and foremost. If you should come across a downed power line, always assume it’s live and extremely dangerous. Stay far back and call 911 or OPPD at 1-800-554-OPPD (6773).
Our crews will continue working round-the-clock to restore power. For their safety and the safety of the public, we ask that you not approach our work teams. With more storms predicted to hit our area again later this afternoon, a new round of power outages is possible.
If you have a current outage that you have not reported, or if you lose power today, please be sure and report it so that we’re aware and can respond. You can do that at
OPPD.com, through our
OPPDConnect app, or by calling 1-800-554-OPPD (6773).
Please take some time to be sure you know where you will shelter in the event of a tornado warning, and keep a
disaster kit on-hand, with non-perishable food, water, medicines, pet leashes and supplies, shoes for every member of the family, and any other necessities.
Friday April 26, 8:55 p.m. -OPPD continues working with emergency management and first responders to assist where needed with debris and downed power lines. The safety of the public and our crews is of highest importance as crews prepare for what could be another day of storms Saturday.
There are
7,600 customers without power at this time. The National Weather Service (NWS) in Valley has predicted the possibility of severe weather again Saturday afternoon. While the tornado potential isn't as high as it was today, storms could still cause damage and more power outages.
There were power lines that were knocked down during today's storms and we want to remind you to always assume these lines are live and extremely dangerous. Stay far back and call
911 or
1-800-554-OPPD (6773) to report this kind of threat.
7:30 p.m. - After a damaging round of storms rolled through the OPPD service territory leaving up to 10,000 customers without power, OPPD personnel are working with law enforcement and emergency first responders to assist where needed with debris and downed power lines.
There are currently
7,600 customers without power.
A number of tornadoes touched down Friday afternoon causing severe damage in a number of areas including the Elkhorn and Bennington areas.
Our hearts go out to those displaced or impacted by these storms. We will be working as hard as we can to return power to those who lost electrical service. The safety of our customers and crews is of utmost importance to us.
4:55 p.m. - Severe weather continues to hammer eastern Nebraska, leaving a lot of damage in its wake. Amid reports of extreme damage to homes and businesses in western Douglas County among other locations, more than 10,050 customers are without power. Outages are impacting six counties within our service territory at the moment.
First and foremost, we want to make sure our customers stay safe. As we're hearing reports of downed power lines near 226th & Fort and 226th & Pacific, among other possible locations, we want to remind you to always assume these lines are live and extremely dangerous. Stay far back and call 911 or 1-800-554-OPPD (6773) to report this kind of threat.
Our hearts go out to those displaced or impacted by by these storms in other ways. We will be working as hard as we can to return power to those who lost electrical service as the weather in those areas is clear enough for our crews to work safely.
Below are photos taken by a couple of our employees - one of a funnel cloud from a back porch near Ashland just before sheltering in his basement. The other photo shows large, damaging hail in Blair. We are in this with you. Please be sure and let us know if you lose power so that we can respond when it's safe to do so,
online or by calling 1-800-554-OPPD (6773).
[caption id="attachment_12395" align="alignleft" width="225"]
Funnel cloud spotted near Ashland.[/caption]
[caption id="attachment_12396" align="alignleft" width="225"]
Large hail fell in the Blair area.[/caption]
4:30 p.m. - Another outage was reported about 4:15 p.m., bringing the total number of customers without power to
9,900. A total of
five circuits have locked out due to the severe storm system that is moving through the area.
There are reports of extensive in some areas. Once conditions are safe, crews will begin restoration efforts and working to get customers back online as quickly and safely as possible. We urge customers to stay safe and be aware of current weather conditions as things could change quickly.
Also, if you come across a downed wire, treat it as live, stay away and call 911.
4 p.m. - As reports of multiple tornados touching down in the OPPD service territory come in, the number of outages reported throughout the area is starting to rise and is expected to continue to do so.
There are currently more than
6,500 customers without power in various parts of the service territory. Multiple circuits have locked out and there are reports of damage caused by the fast-moving storm system.
We urge customers to seek shelter if need be and stay apprised of current weather conditions. More information about outages will be posted here as it becomes available.
3:45 p.m. - A tornado is on the ground in West Omaha currently as dangerous weather is moving through the OPPD service territory.
Outages have been reported west of Omaha and in the Bennington area impacting about
2,000 customers. More outages are expected as winds pick up.
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