Metro area residents are getting their first real look at the damage caused by Friday night's powerful thunderstorms that damaged homes and snapped power poles and trees
As of 7:00 a.m. Saturday 52-thousand OPPD customers are without power, down from 76,000 Friday night. Winds in excess of 80 mph caused extensive damage and left trails of tree and other debris.
OPPD spokesperson Paul Lukowski says crews are out in full force working on restoration, which will include everything from trimming trees, restringing lines, rebuilding poles and making numerous other repairs.
She is asking for customer’s patience as the effort is a large task. OPPD crews will work to restore larger circuits first, bringing back large numbers at a time. "We continue to urge caution around impacted areas, as there are many reports of downed lines and lines tangled amongst the downed tree limbs."
You can check OPPD'S outage map for areas that remain impacted. The map, which refreshes every 15 minutes, shows the counties served by OPPD.
Some of the most severe damage was in the Bellevue and Plattsmouth areas. The Sarpy County Sheriffs Office says Highway 34 between La Platte and The Missouri River is closed due to numerous power poles laying in the roadway.
Several homes were damaged in the Hyda Hills subdivision near 23rd and Platteview and in the Normandy Hills subdivision north of Plattsmouth. The sheriff's office reports no injuries. Citizens are being asked to stay out of those areas while cleanup efforts begin.
Extensive damage is also being reported at Soaring Wings Vineyard and Brewing off of Highway 50 near Springfield. Owner Jim Shaw say their stage was destroyed and damage is easily in the hundreds of thousands of dollars.
"We are not sure about operations in the near term. We will try to be open tomorrow, but until power is restored things may have to be cash and carry," Shaw says.
He says damage looks similar to a small tornado. The tops of some trees have been torn off and a number of trees are down. He provided the photo of the damaged stage.
The Salvation Army says the Eppley Camp east of Highway 75 and north of the Platte River is a mess and has been closed this weekend. Spokesman Jeff Beckman says there is damage to buildings and cabins and a number of trees have been toppled. No kids were at the camp at the time and clean up will take quite some time.