Arcadia, Neb. — Loup Valley Rural Public Power District estimates roughly $600,000 in damage after powerful overnight storms caused widespread outages and extensive damage to its electrical system in the Arcadia and North Loup areas.
General Manager Ronald Sandoz said outages began around 12:30 a.m. Wednesday, Aug. 13. By 1 a.m., approximately 2,200 meters were without power.
The Village of Arcadia, North Loup, and the area between the communities were among the hardest-hit. Wind speeds reached 112 mph at one location, according to Loup Valleys.
Sandoz said the storm caused significant tree damage and destroyed more than 100 utility poles, including several transmission poles that require additional time and equipment to replace.
In one area, he said 34 consecutive poles along the west side of a county road were broken off at ground level and thrown across the roadway into power lines and trees on the east side.
“I had never seen this type of damage in 35 years,” Sandoz said.
Residents also reported the force of the storm made it difficult to open attached garage doors, while one resident moved to a safer location after fearing a west wall of their home could collapse.
Loup Valleys received mutual-aid support from Southern Public Power District and Niobrara Valley Electric Cooperative. Thirteen additional employees, along with bucket trucks and diggers, were sent to assist with restoration work.
