Thousands were without power Wednesday evening as severe storms uprooted trees and demolished fences in the capital city before moving to the Omaha area.
The storms began around 5 p.m. when a front moved into the area. Evening commutes were impacted by the storm, and several traffic lights were reported out in Lincoln.
According to the National Weather Service, there were an estimated 213,000 people without power in the Omaha Public Power District coverage area, and 29,000 without power in the Lincoln Electric System coverage area.
Thursday morning, 167,000 customers were still without power. According to LES, the bulk of them, 128,353, were in the Douglas County area where gusts reached 100 mph. In Sarpy County, 33,883 customers were still without power.
Omaha Public Power District shared on X, formerly Twitter, that the storm caused the largest outage event in the department's history with more than 1,000 employees and contractors working to restore service.
Nebraska Public Power District (NPPD) sent mutual aid to help Omaha workers with power restoration, consisting of a 24-person crew, including 21 line technicians and three supervisors.
The storms damaged equipment, and knocked down tree limbs into power lines. Several debris drop sites were setup in response to the storms.
Please exercise caution if you must be out during this time, as there are many downed trees/limbs. Based on the extent of damage throughout the #LNK area, plan for extended outage times, as crews will need to safely remove limbs and fix equipment for complete power restoration. pic.twitter.com/DvXzsczBIi
— Lincoln Electric System (@LESupdates) July 31, 2024
In addition to the electrical outages, the City of Lincoln Transportation and Utilities Department announced Wednesday night that Lincoln’s wellfields that supply water to the community were without electricity after severe storms caused extensive damage to the Omaha Public Power District electrical distribution system. The damage resulted in the loss of electricity to all 44 of Lincoln’s wells located near Ashland, Nebraska.
Lincoln Police Department Chief Michon Morrow said in a press release the Lincoln Emergency Communications Center (LECC) received 1,800 calls between 4 p.m. and midnight Wednesday. Storm-related issues reported by residents included traffic hazards, downed wires and tree branches, crashes, fires and property damage. No injuries were reported.
Lincoln Fire and Rescue Chief Dave Engler reported the department responded to 246 calls on Wednesday, with 153 occurring between 4:45-11 p.m. Typically, LFR handles about 93 calls daily.
At least 13 counties in Nebraska were hit by the rain, lightning and damaging winds.
“It's just been one of those years where we have been experiencing round after round of high-end severe weather,” said Suzanne Fortin, meteorologist in charge at the National Weather Service Omaha.
According to the Fortin, the storm was one of the most damaging Nebraska has seen this season.
Eppley Airfield in Omaha reported wind gusts peaking at 90 mph.
Due to the loss of power, the city asked community members to stop all outdoor water use and voluntarily reduce indoor water use.
Water Use Advisory for Lincoln
— City of Lincoln, Nebraska (@CityOfLincoln) August 1, 2024
Severe storms have disrupted power to Lincoln’s wells, temporarily limiting our water supply.
Please take the following actions:
🚫 Cease all outdoor water use immediately.
🚫 Reduce indoor water use as much as possible.
Transportation and Utilities Department Director Liz Elliott said the damage will take time to repair and asked for the community’s help with the situation.
“Our top priority is ensuring that residents have access to safe drinking water and to ensure the overall health and safety of all our residents,” Elliott said in a press release. “We ask for the community’s help as we work to repair the damage.”
Elliott said the department would continue working to restore power.
Lincoln’s wellfields in Ashland, which were 75% operational as of 10:30 a.m. Thursday, were are expected to regain power late Thursday or early Friday.
A total of 14 crew members from Hastings and Grand Island were dispatched to help with restoration and repairs in Lincoln.
“When severe weather hits our community, as it did yesterday through a storm that packed unexpectedly strong winds, our City team rapidly mobilizes to ensure our residents are safe and have access to essential resources and information to keep themselves and their families safe,” Mayor Leirion Gaylor Baird said in a press release.
Lincoln officials encouraged voluntary outdoor water conservation though the end of the day Friday.