Neighbors in Maplewood Hills help each other cope during power outage
OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT) - Thousands of people in the Omaha Metro Area remain without power more than five days after the windstorm.
Maplewood Hills off 680 and Maple is still in the dark.
When first talking with people in Maplewood Hills, you’d think everything is coming up roses.
Pat Frampton said, “I live in the best neighborhood in Omaha. It’s just that simple.”
However, a quick look around tells a different story. The neighborhood was hit hard during the windstorm. Trees are down everywhere, and others are barely hanging on.
Maplewood Hills is going on day six without power.
This isn’t the first time.
Frampton says their power was out for almost a week after the storm in July 2021.
This time around, she and her roommate are spending most of their time at a friend’s.
Frampton said, “My roommate has COPD and she’s on oxygen 24-seven so we needed to be able to get oxygen going.”
The neighbors behind them have Covid and are isolating at home in the heat.
Around the corner, a tree limb ripped a power line from a house and likely won’t get fixed for days.
Down the street, Sandi Koch has power lines dangling from a tree in her back yard.
Koch said, “With some winds, we fear that that is going to fall, and maybe break down the fence, take down the electrical line.”
Still, people in Maplewood Hills say their neighbors make everything bearable.
Frampton said, “The neighbor behind me had a generator before me, allowed me to string a power cord over there before I got a generator.”
Sarah Leach said, ‘People from down the street came up and helped us in our back yard that we had not met yet. Almost immediately, before the storm even stopped really, people were outside, like everyone was out cleaning up the street.”
Their trees may be down, but their spirit is up.
Leach said, “I think it feels kinda nice to live where people care about you.”
Frampton said, “I really am grateful for all the help that I’ve gotten. And I just cannot say enough how I really do live in the best neighborhood in Omaha.”
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