OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT) – OPPD was “out in full force” after a storm knocked out power to nearly 40,000 customers early Saturday morning.
Many in the Omaha area were awakened by emergency alerts going off on their phones alerting to “destructive” winds up to 80 miles per hour.
Automated emergency alerts were activiated on phones across the Omaha metro on Saturday morning, Aug. 9, 2025.(WOWT)
OPPD says the peak of the storm logged 39,797 customers without power across their service area. As of 9:20 a.m. Saturday, they have restored power to 10,365 customers, about 35% of those affected.
As of 10:30 a.m., just over 25,000 customers remain without power.
27 line crews and 10 metro troubleshooter teams have been mobilized, with more workers on the way, according to OPPD. 36 tree crews have also been commissioned, and mutual aid teams from Kansas and Missouri have also been contacted.
OPPD also shared some reminders as power recovery efforts are underway:
- All major outages are fluid events, especially at the beginning as we learn more about the extent of the damage. Initial assessments can change quickly.
- Please give field workers plenty of space, and don’t distract them while they’re working. This is for your safety and theirs.
- Please avoid areas with extensive damage, and be very careful around fallen trees and debris. If you see a downed power line, do not go near it. Assume that it is electrified and extremely dangerous.
- Please make sure to report your outages. Do not assume that someone else reported it. This is a large event and we want to make absolutely certain that we’re helping everyone needs it. You can report outages online at oppd.com, through the OPPDconnect app, or by calling 1-800-554-6773.
A release from the City of Blair says they are collecting debris at a site south of the city’s recycling center. Two additional storm debris sites are being set up at the parking lot at Veteran’s Memorial Baseball Field and the parking lot on the northeast corner of Hansen and Angel Share drives.
Bennington Mayor Clint Adams says residents can drop off tree debris from the east parking lot of Tim Ohrt Park until 3 p.m. today.
Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen has been briefed on the incident, according to a social media post.
I’ve been briefed by my emergency management team following the severe storms that hit Nebraska overnight. Strong winds caused significant tree damage and thousands of power outages in multiple communities across the state. We are also assessing reports of injuries, including at…
— Governor Jim Pillen (@TeamPillen) August 9, 2025
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