Be prepared for storm effects, says Vector

Vector cautioned power users to be prepared following a severe weather warning for Auckland today.

Met Service say severe south or south-west gales could affect Auckland from mid-morning through to mid-afternoon and have the potential for gusts to hit 120 km/h.

Vector says the public should be aware of the potential electricity related hazards strong winds can create. Trees and branches can be blown down over lines and cause outages. Overgrown trees also mean access difficulties for crews trying to restore these outages.

In particular, people should:

stay well clear of fallen power lines or damaged electrical equipment and treat them as live at all times
watch out for falling tree branches as these can cause damage to power lines

People using medical equipment that relies on electricity should ensure they are prepared for power disruptions and if there is an immediate health threat, contact their health provider or call 111.

As always, Vector will work hard to restore power as quickly as possible, however in storms the company has to prioritise multiple demands. The safety of the public and Vector’s linesmen is of primary importance at all times.

Customers, when they have an outage, should now get in touch with Vector directly, instead of their retailer.

Everyone on our network should now call us to report an outage on 0508 VECTOR (0508 832 867) 24 Hours, 7 days.

They can also follow real-time outage information and updates on Vector's outage app (available free on your smartphone or tablet), our website or follow us on Twitter @Vectorltd

Network summary for week ending 21 September 2014
Electricity

Car vs. pole incidents occurred in Northcote, East Tamaki, Mangere Bridge, Remuera, Glenn Innes, Mt Roskill, Papakura and Green Bay during the week. Our control room stayed in close contact with emergency services at the time of the Northcote incident, as a person suffered a cardiac arrest at the accident site.

There were house/building fires in Dairy Flat, Henderson and Clover Park during the week. Our control room isolated power to these sites for safety.

Gas

Reports of a smell of gas in Whakatane during the week turned out to be a false alarm once all necessary checks had been carried out. Similar reports in Whangarei saw an asset referred to supervisors for further work.
ends

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