City of Lincoln advises residents on debris cleanup following severe storm

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) — Following the strong morning storm Saturday, the City of Lincoln is advising residents on how to report and discard of downed trees.

• For trees blocking City streets or sidewalks, contact the Lincoln Police Department’s non-emergency number, 402-441-6000. LPD is keeping a list of areas and reporting those to the Community Forestry crews.
• For other damage to other public trees between the curb and sidewalk, contact the Parks and Recreation Community Forestry Section at 402-441-7847, ext. 0. Voice mail is available at this number, and residents are encouraged to provide their name, address, phone number and the nature of the problem.
• Residents can also report damage to street trees at UPLNK.lincoln.ne.gov or by using the UPLNK app.

Residents are also asked to watch for broken limbs that may still be hanging in trees. These can cause injury or damage when they fall.

Officials said tree debris on private property is the responsibility of the property owner.

For tree debris on private properties, residents can contact their refuse haulers or take the debris to one of these locations:

• The City North 48th Street Transfer Station, 5101 N. 48th St. Hours are 6:45 a.m. to 4:15 p.m. Monday through Friday, 6:45 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturdays and 6:45 a.m. to noon Sundays. Officials said this location will be open until 5 p.m. Saturday due to the high volume of vehicles dropping off trees.
• Star City Shores, 4375 S. 33rd Court, will be accepting tree debris from private residences without charge through August 24.

The Lincoln Parks and Recreation Forestry division prioritize in the following manner:  blocked arterial streets, residential streets, and driveways; trees with limbs hanging from the tree; blocked sidewalks; and tree debris in the right of way between the curb and sidewalk.

In addition, Lincoln Parks and Recreation Park Operations team is working to clear the trails network and park roadways. Access to certain park areas may be limited during the clean-up effort.

The City is also announcing the following changes in operating hours for park facilities:

• Star City Shores Aquatic Center, 4375 S. 33rd Court, will remain closed for the remainder of the swimming season.
• Irving Neighborhood Pool, 1900 Van Dorn St, and Belmont Pool, 12^th and Manatt streets, will not open on Saturday due to storm debris.
• University Place Aquatic Center, 2000 N 48^th St., Eden Pool, 4400 Antelope Creek, and Arnold Heights Pool, 4000 NW 46^th Street, are without power. They are closed until further notice.
• Air Park Community Center and Williams Branch Library, 4900 Mike Scholl Street, closed due to no power.
• Easterday Recreation Center, 6100 Adams, closed due to no power.

Following the morning storm, Lincoln City Libraries announced temporary closures at two branch locations due to power outages:

• Williams Branch Library, 4900 Mike Scholl St., will be closed all day Saturday.
• Gere Branch Library, 2400 S. 56th St., will be closed until further notice.

The City is working with utility providers to restore service as quickly as possible.

Library staff will provide updates on reopening times as more information becomes available.

Temperatures are expected to be in the mid to high 80s Saturday.

Residents can also cool off at one of the four city cooling centers and the American Red Cross will be staging a reception center at the F Street Community Center for those who have been displaced or need assistance with recovery planning.

The following cooling center locations will be open Saturday.

• Anderson Branch Public Library (3635 Touzalin Avenue, Lincoln, NE 68507) 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

• Bennett Martin Public Library (136 S 14^th Street, Lincoln, NE 68508) 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

• Victory Park Senior Center (600 S. 70^th Street, Lincoln NE 68510) 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

• F Street Community Center (1225 F Street, Lincoln, NE 68508) 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.