Vector crews on standby for bad weather

Media Releases
MetService has today advised that bad weather is in store for later today and the early hours of Friday morning, with the potential for heavy rain, thunderstorms and strong gale northwesterlies.

Vector’s Head of Network Field Services Marko Simunac says Vector is monitoring the weather and has additional crews ready to respond to any power outages.

“Our response crews and storm management teams are again ready to respond and we are actively monitoring the latest weather advice and our own data on network performance. As always, our objective is to do this as quickly as possible while ensuring the safety of our crews and the public.

“The risk of trees coming into contact with power lines and cars colliding with power poles in the wet, increases during these types of weather events. Mr Simunac said that if the weather caused any power lines to come down, Vector would remotely shut down power to that area as a public safety precaution until crews arrive on site. Bad weather can mean this can sometimes take more time than usual.

“We remind people to stay away from damaged electrical equipment and report issues by phoning us on 0508 VECTOR.

“In the event that your power goes out, you can keep up to date with restoration work relevant to your specific address through our Outage Centre, available on vector.co.nz/outages.

“All lines should be treated as live at all times. If you see any damaged power equipment or power lines down, please keep a safe distance away and report it to us as soon as possible on 0508 VECTOR.”
ENDS

STEPS YOU CAN TAKE TO BE PREPARED
 
•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.
•Avoid possible damage to electrical appliances (in the unlikely event there is a power surge when the power is restored) by switching off appliances at the wall.
•Keep a torch and spare batteries handy and ensure that you have at least one telephone that does not rely on electricity for operation.
•Ensure that an alternate fuel is always available for cooking (e.g. gas for BBQ).
•If you have an electric garage door, prepare how you can gain entry to the garage another way so you have access to your vehicle.
•Tie down objects on your property that may be impacted by strong winds (ie: trampolines, BBQ’s and BBQ covers).
•Take extreme care if you are driving in poor weather and delay trips if possible. Do not drive through floodwaters.
•If you are on tank water please ensure you have plenty of bottled water available.
•If a planned outage for network maintenance has been advised in your area over the coming days, be aware this could be rescheduled depending on impacts from the weather
•If life or property is at risk, call 111.