{
  "id": "2024-12-04-university-of-nebraska-omaha-power-outage",
  "slug": "university-of-nebraska-omaha-power-outage-2024-12-04",
  "institution": {
    "name": "University of Nebraska Omaha",
    "shortName": "UNO",
    "state": "NE",
    "type": "public-r2",
    "alertSystemName": "UNO Alert",
    "enrollment": 15000
  },
  "incident": {
    "date": "2024-12-04",
    "type": "infrastructure-failure",
    "cleryCategory": "advisory",
    "resolution": "confirmed-threat",
    "headline": "Damaged high-voltage cable shuts campus for the day; classes canceled",
    "headlinePublic": "Damaged high-voltage cable shuts campus for the day; classes canceled",
    "summary": "On December 4, 2024, [widespread power outages hit UNO's Dodge Campus](https://www.wowt.com/2024/12/04/uno-reporting-power-outages-dodge-campus/) after an electrical fuse failure at approximately 7:00 AM CST. OPPD discovered a [damaged high-voltage electrical cable](https://omaha.com/news/local/education/timeline-for-unos-dodge-street-campus-to-reopen-uncertain-as-power-outage-continues/article_66ec96da-b25b-11ef-b0c2-77695251ac48.html) inside a transfer cabinet, leading to a full campus shutdown. All classes and events on Dodge Campus were cancelled, with [normal operations resuming Thursday](https://www.unothegateway.com/news/university/update-classes-resume-after-campus-wide-power-outage-struck-the-university-wednesday/article_15c9895a-b316-11ef-a195-eb3b854c1692.html).",
    "outcome": "OPPD replaced the damaged cable and fuse. Dodge Campus reopened Thursday, December 5. Limited dining options were available due to equipment issues caused by the outage."
  },
  "alerts": [
    {
      "sequence": 1,
      "type": "initial",
      "timestamp": "2024-12-04T07:00:00-06:00",
      "channel": "multi-channel",
      "verbatimText": "UNO ALERT: Widespread outages are impacting parts of Dodge Campus as of 7:00 A.M. Building openings may be delayed.",
      "isVerbatimConfirmed": true,
      "sourceUrl": "https://www.wowt.com/2024/12/04/uno-reporting-power-outages-dodge-campus/",
      "sourceDescription": "WOWT and The Gateway student newspaper quoting the initial UNO Alert sent at approximately 7:00 AM CST on December 4, 2024; confirmed in Omaha World-Herald reporting",
      "annotations": [
        "Verbatim UNO Alert text confirmed in WOWT and Omaha World-Herald coverage of the December 4, 2024 Dodge Campus power failure",
        "The understated 'Building openings may be delayed' phrasing reflects the initial uncertainty before the full scope of the outage was known, subsequent alerts escalated to class cancellations",
        "OPPD later disconnected electricity at 10:30 AM CST to assess and repair the damage, found in a damaged electrical cable inside a transfer cabinet"
      ],
      "characterCount": 115
    },
    {
      "sequence": 2,
      "type": "all-clear",
      "timestampApprox": "Late afternoon or evening of December 4, 2024",
      "channel": "multi-channel",
      "verbatimText": "",
      "isVerbatimConfirmed": false,
      "sourceDescription": "Reconstructed from The Gateway student newspaper and WOWT reporting",
      "annotations": []
    }
  ],
  "context": "On December 4, 2024, [widespread power outages struck UNO's Dodge Campus](https://www.wowt.com/2024/12/04/uno-reporting-power-outages-dodge-campus/) after an electrical fuse failure at approximately 7:00 AM CST. OPPD discovered a [damaged high-voltage electrical cable inside a transfer cabinet](https://omaha.com/news/local/education/timeline-for-unos-dodge-street-campus-to-reopen-uncertain-as-power-outage-continues/article_66ec96da-b25b-11ef-b0c2-77695251ac48.html), and disconnected electricity at about 10:30 AM CST to make repairs. All on-campus classes and events on Dodge Campus were cancelled for the day. [The Gateway student newspaper](https://www.unothegateway.com/news/university/update-classes-resume-after-campus-wide-power-outage-struck-the-university-wednesday/article_15c9895a-b316-11ef-a195-eb3b854c1692.html) reported that normal operations resumed Thursday, December 5, though with limited dining options. This was the second major power event for UNO in 2024; [a destructive summer storm in July](https://www.unothegateway.com/news/destructive-storm-closes-uno-campus-causes-largest-power-outage-in-oppd-history/article_3713b8f2-5046-11ef-bb76-3bd75186407e.html) had caused the largest power outage in OPPD history and closed the campus.",
  "keyFindings": [
    "The infrastructure failure (a damaged electrical cable inside an OPPD transfer cabinet) demonstrates how campus operations depend on external utility infrastructure",
    "UNO experienced two major power events in 2024 (summer storm and winter infrastructure failure), highlighting vulnerability to both weather and equipment aging",
    "The full-day campus closure affected 15,000+ students during the fall exam period"
  ],
  "sources": [
    {
      "title": "UNO's Dodge Campus back open after power outage (WOWT)",
      "url": "https://www.wowt.com/2024/12/04/uno-reporting-power-outages-dodge-campus/",
      "type": "local-media"
    },
    {
      "title": "Timeline for UNO's Dodge Campus to reopen uncertain (Omaha World-Herald)",
      "url": "https://omaha.com/news/local/education/timeline-for-unos-dodge-street-campus-to-reopen-uncertain-as-power-outage-continues/article_66ec96da-b25b-11ef-b0c2-77695251ac48.html",
      "type": "local-media"
    },
    {
      "title": "Classes resume after campus-wide power outage (The Gateway)",
      "url": "https://www.unothegateway.com/news/university/update-classes-resume-after-campus-wide-power-outage-struck-the-university-wednesday/article_15c9895a-b316-11ef-a195-eb3b854c1692.html",
      "type": "student-newspaper"
    }
  ],
  "confidence": "medium",
  "tags": [
    "infrastructure-failure",
    "power-outage",
    "nebraska",
    "oppd",
    "classes-cancelled",
    "campus-closure",
    "electrical-cable"
  ],
  "dateAdded": "2026-04-04",
  "lastUpdated": "2026-06-01",
  "addedBy": "ingestion"
}