Butler Public Power District prepares for possible outages due to winter storm
DAVID CITY, Neb. (KLKN) – The Butler Public Power District is preparing for the possibility of power outages due to the winter storm making its way through Nebraska.
On Monday, the National Weather Service in Omaha issued an Ice Storm Warning for Butler County and several other counties across the state.
JUST IN – Ice Storm Warnings have been expanded to include a larger area and will be in effect until 6pm Tuesday. In the shaded area, a quarter-inch to half-inch of ice accrual will be possible due to freezing rain. Travel will be difficult to impossible in these areas. #NEwx pic.twitter.com/k1r4STNKvj
— Channel 8 KLKN-TV (@Channel8ABC) January 2, 2023
Mark Kirby, general manager of Butler Public Power, said a quarter inch of ice and some wind is all it takes to bring down a power line.
Kirby said crews are ready to go, and even if the roads are icy, they can still get out to repair powerlines.
Butler Public Power District will also not hesitate to call in help from neighboring counties, according to Kirby.
Kirby said customers should be prepared for outages but reassures the community that crews will work safely to get power restored in a timely manner.
If you are in Butler Public Power’s coverage area and experience an outage, you can check outages with their map.
Kirby also asks that Butler County residents call them at 402-367-3081 to report any outages.
“It’s always good to hear from the customer because if the customer sees that there was like, you know, a tree limb laying on the wires or something like that,” Kirby said. “That’s something that we need to know about so we can react to that and go get that taken care of.”
Monday noon severe winter weather update:
Winter Storm Warning, Ice Storm Warning, and Winter Weather Advisories continue through Tuesday.
NEW: Marginal Risk for severe storms in SE Neb Monday evening.
Snow and mixed precip is moving across Neb now.https://t.co/OJWz3Ypq2L pic.twitter.com/gQ5HFPJIei
— Channel 8 KLKN-TV (@Channel8ABC) January 2, 2023
Kirby also reminds people never to approach a downed power line. Instead, call 911 or *55 to reach the Nebraska State Patrol to report the downed wires.
To keep up with the latest weather updates, click HERE.
SEE ALSO: Nebraska State Patrol reminds drivers to be prepared for winter storm
