Omaha volunteers bring lifesaving heat relief to unhoused neighbors
Volunteers in Omaha are distributing water
By Melissa Wright
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OMAHA, Nebraska (KMTV) — As temperatures soar across the metro, local volunteers are stepping up to protect the city’s most vulnerable residents.
With extreme heat gripping Omaha, a team of medical professionals and community workers is taking action—bringing relief directly to those without shelter.
On Saturday, seven teams made up of 15 volunteers—ranging from nurses and doctors to case workers—fanned out across North Omaha. Their mission: to keep people safe, hydrated, and informed.
“The most immediate killer is going to be that dehydration—so water, water, water and electrolytes,” said registered nurse Melissa Neuenfeldt.
Volunteers handed out water, juice, hats, and hygiene supplies, while also offering medical care when needed. Physician Dalton Nelson says they’ve seen firsthand how quickly heat can take a toll.
“Oftentimes they’re obviously very warm, and one gentleman said, ‘I was in the ER yesterday because I was dehydrated,'” said Dalton Nelson. “So we’re definitely seeing the effects of the weather already.”
The teams focused their visits on areas where they knew unhoused neighbors often stay, as well as less visible spots where people might be sheltering from the sun.
In addition to aid, the teams offered practical advice—like soaking clothes or towels to help lower body temperature through evaporation.
“We want to make sure people are out of their tents, out of their vehicles, in the breeze—in a shady spot—if they can’t get indoors where there’s air conditioning and evaporation,” said Neuenfeldt.
Organizers say anyone in the community can pitch in by creating small kits with essentials like bottled water, sunscreen, bug spray, and electrolyte packets.
“We want folks to try to get their clothes wet, or a wet towel—something wet on their body—so that their body heat will kind of evaporate off of them with the water.”
To support or join the effort, volunteers and donors can visit healomaha.org.
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