Omaha Public Power District welcomes additional mutual aid support today as we continue restoration efforts after a historic power outage. From OPPD crews and tree contractors and mutual aid teams on the front lines to workers behind the scenes, there are now approximately 1,300 people working on power restoration efforts.
As of 12:30 p.m., our teams were working to restore power to about 39,300 customers, the remaining 18% of customers who are still without power after Wednesday’s devastating storm. At the peak, 218,332 customers were in the dark.
Assessing what needs to be done at each location is complex. There is a sequential process requiring different crew members with different roles to complete work that must be done in a specific order. 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. Some customers may even see OPPD crews coming and going multiple times from your neighborhood. It's all part of our restoration process to accurately assess damage and to assign the correct resources to respond in the safest order.
First, our teams work to fix backbone infrastructure, such as main transmission lines. From there, we prioritize public safety and emergency response facilities and then work through circuit lockouts to bring large numbers of customers back online. Then we get closer to the service lines that feed customers' homes, which are often the most difficult and lengthy repairs.
Important note on outage reporting
If homes and businesses around you are getting restored but you find yourself still without power, it may be because they reported their outages. If you have not told us about your outage, even if there is damage and/or other outages around you and it seems obvious, it’s crucial that you still report your outage. We don’t know your power it out unless you report your outage. If we don’t know about it, it’s possible that we will restore the outages around you and move to the next set of outages.
Also, please report if you have had a new or secondary power outage. This is not uncommon in the days following a large storm like we experienced Wednesday. Often, strong winds weaken trees or limbs or other objects and only later on do they give way, impacting electric infrastructure like power lines.
In addition, OPPD has also been sending estimated times of restoration (ETRs) out to customers via phone, which are based on current conditions and assessments from our teams in the field. If you have reported your outage and did not receive an ETR call, please contact us immediately. We want to be absolutely certain we are not missing anyone, and you can help us do that. You can report your outage to us online, by calling 1-800-554-OPPD (6773) or via the OPPDconnect app.
Know if you need an electrician
As OPPD utilizes multiple teams to survey damage, clear debris and perform repairs or replacements, it’s important for customers who are still without power to make sure you know if you need a licensed, bonded electrician first. If there are damages to parts of the electrical infrastructure on a home or business that are the responsibility of the property owner, they must be addressed before power can be restored. Please review this information on OPPD.com that will help you determine if you need to engage a licensed, bonded electrician. If power has been restored to your location, but you needed electrical repairs first, it’s important to note that you should contact OPPD again after the licensed, bonded electrician has made the repairs.
We want to thank the OPPD communities for your patience, as this stretch of repairs is the most complex and time-consuming. Please know that we are working as quickly as we safely can to bring power back to those still impacted.
Stay safe
Safety of OPPD crews, the public and our customers remains our top focus. If you see a downed power line, assume it is live and stay away from it. If the downed line is on private property, please report it to OPPD.
In addition, we ask that you refrain from approaching crews for any reason. We understand you may have questions or may even want to share some kind words. However, the work our crews are doing is extremely dangerous and potentially life-threatening. They need to maintain complete focus for their safety and the safety of the public. This will also help ensure efficiency with their restoration work.
For the latest information on power outages and related topics, please visit StormAndOutage.com.