Ausgrid urges customers to prepare for wild weather Ausgrid

27 November 2018

Ausgrid is urging customers to take some simple steps to ensure they are ready for wild weather which is forecast across our electricity network this week.

The Bureau of Meteorology is forecasting damaging winds and torrential rain for Sydney and coastal areas of the Central Coast and the Hunter tomorrow with wind gusts of up to 90km/h.

Ausgrid Chief Operating Officer Trevor Armstrong said the wind may be strong enough to damage parts of the electricity network.

“Strong winds like those forecast tomorrow can pick up debris and blow it into overhead wires and cause outages for customers.

“It’s a good idea to get ready now before the rain and wind arrive by doing a quick check on your yard and putting away any loose items such as garden tools, outdoor furniture and play equipment so they don’t blow away”, he said.

Ausgrid is monitoring the weather situation closely and has crews ready to respond to any outages.

“Strong winds can cause trees and branches to fall on powerlines - a quarter of all outages on our network are caused by trees and branches contacting live wires.
“Always be careful around fallen trees or storm debris as they can hide hazards like fallen powerlines.

“If you do see fallen wires always assume they are live, never approach them, stay at least eight metres back and report them to Ausgrid online at ausgrid.com.au/report or by calling 13 13 88”, Mr Armstrong said.

With torrential rain also forecast it’s important to heed warnings and to never enter flooded waterways such as creeks or drains as they can also contain hidden hazards.

People can stay up to date on any power outages in their area by using the Ausgrid outage map which can be found at:
ausgrid.com.au/poweroutages