OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) — While power crews are making progress restoring electricity to thousands, that's little comfort to those still left in the dark.
For many of them, Thursday will be their sixth straight day without power.
A block of homes on Cole Creek Dr are some of those still without power.
Not only do they not have power, but they also don't have answers from OPPD — something residents said is equally as frustrating.
Carly Tefft and her family have been without power since early Saturday morning.
On top of losing power, they woke up to a huge tree out their front door.
Her family had to throw out hundreds of dollars of food because their fridge and freezer stopped working.
For the first few days, they stayed with family.
Now, they are paying to stay in a hotel so they still have power to work as Tefft is still out of the office due to the pandemic.
On top of the damages, removing a tree and paying for a hotel, Tefft said the money is adding up as they are still having to eat out a lot since they can't cook from home.
With no end in sight, Tefft just wants some answers from OPPD.
"At this point it kind of defeating. We are just waiting to hear something. We don't hear much of anything. I think we've gotten one phone call from OPPD saying like, 'hey, we are working in your neighborhood now but we haven't seen many people around.' I think yesterday there was a couple of workers around but that is pretty much it," Tefft said.
Tefft said she understands they are swamped and working hard, but is disappointed in the lack of communication from OPPD.
Another metro resident, Julio Aguirre, said he feels "uprooted from his home" after having no power for nearly a week.
Aguirre's frustrations are also growing as every time he calls OPPD. He said he is left with an automated message.
Aguirre added he received an email on Monday saying power would be back up, but that has not happened. He said since then the only correspondence he's received from OPPD is his monthly bill.
"I think the biggest thing is that I am able to afford to get more groceries. That's okay. I have another place to go. That's fine. But there are families out there that don't have any of that and they're sitting in their homes in 90-degree weather, 100 degrees inside and it's muggy. I'm still mad. I want to say I threw away $1,000 worth of just food," said Aguirre.
Aguirre added he is also frustrated with Mayor Stothert's response along with other leaders for the city. He understands the OPPD workers are doing the best they can but believes communication during this crisis has been subpar.
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