OPPD Mutual Aid Team Returns Home After Assisting in Iowa, Illinois

(Omaha, NE) -- A 17-person Omaha Public Power District (OPPD) mutual aid team is back home after providing power restoration support in Iowa and Illinois over the past week. The team assisted with power restoration from Des Moines to Davenport, Iowa and New Lenox to Homewood, Illinois. They assisted both MidAmerican Energy and ComEd in bringing power back to thousands of customers following severe weather Monday evening.

“It is extremely gratifying being able to return the favor,” said Brian Kramer, senior director of Utilities Operations, Construction and Maintenance, in a press release from OPPD. “That’s what mutual aid is all about, utilities helping utilities restore power to our customers when they need it most. Electricity is a critical service, and we never take that for granted.”

OPPD’s mutual aid team consisted of four 3-person line crews, a 2-member safety team, a supervisor and two transportation mechanics.

“Each and every employee is needed to ensure safe and efficient power restoration,” said Eli Schiessler, OPPD Transmission & Distribution center manager. OPPD says transportation mechanics even helped repair a blown out tire and repaired a hydraulic issue with a backyard machine, among other things.

The team began its return trip home on Saturday.