Inside OPPD’s Response to a Once-in-500-Year Ice Storm

Omaha Public Power District (OPPD) received the Gold Emergency Management Award for its response to a rare, once-in-500-year ice event in 2025. OPPD executed a comprehensive, safety-first emergency management response grounded in “one-voice” communications, disciplined incident command, and organizational agility. The storm brought hurricane force winds and three to five inches of ice to energized infrastructure, impacting 132,000 customers. While addressing the most significant infrastructure damage in the utility’s history, OPPD remained steadfast in its commitment to honest and frequent outage communications, consistent prioritization of safety, and an unwavering pledge to work continuously until full restoration was achieved.

Presenter: Tonya Ngotel, Manager, Emergency Preparedness, OPPD

Recent Blog Posts

Join a Membership

Stakeholder Engagement: How Hydro One Builds Stronger Partnerships Before Outage

Progress Over Perfection: OPPD’s Outage Communication & ETR Enhancements

The Tale of Two Storms: How Con Edison Quickly Pivoted Its Communications Strategy to Keep the Public Informed in Extreme Conditions

Exploring OPPD’s Customer Portal: MyOPPD

We'd love to hear from you

Utility Membership Options

Events/Solution Providers

Inside OPPD’s Response to a Once-in-500-Year Ice Storm

Learn More and Register for PowerUp

View All PowerUp 2026 Session Details

ABOUT CHARTWELL

LEADERSHIP COUNCILS

Events

MEMBERSHIP OPTIONS