People in Central Otago are being warned to prepare for a potentially cold night without power this evening with outages in some parts of the region.
Aurora Energy said this afternoon strong winds in the region caused “significant damage” to powerlines in and around Roxburgh, Ettrick and Clyde and while crews are working as fast as possible to repair them, it may not be enough.
It’s estimated the outages effect around 550 customers in the area, 419 of which are in the Ettrick area.
“This has been a significant weather event that has brought down trees and power lines,” an Aurora Energy spokesperson said.
“With a cold snap coming on, we’re urging residents to be prepared to be without power through the night, and possibly into the morning Wednesday as work continues to repair the infrastructure.”
As part of their response, Aurora Energy said a generator at Millers Flat Hall will be set up from 6:30pm to provide “warmth, tea, coffee, toilet, water and cooking facilities” to those affected.
“This is intended to remain in place until all power is restored in this area,” the spokesperson said.
“With snow forecast for Central Otago, Aurora Energy is working as fast as possible to repair lines safely, as conditions allow.”
With such conditions in mind, Aurora Energy have also issued the following guidelines to those in the area:
• Check on neighbours
• Ensure you have adequate food supplies, warm clothing and bedding, a torch, spare batteries and a battery radio.
• Ensure an alternative source for heating and cooking is available.
• Switch power appliances off at the wall to prevent damage when power is restored
• To report downed power lines or trees on your property or the roadside, please keep well clear of them, and contact Aurora Energy on 0800 22 00 05.
• Contact Aurora Energy with any concerns you may have about this situation.
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