Source: Radio New Zealand
A crushed electricity transformer lies under a tree in Clutha. RNZ/Calvin Samuel
Only a handful of people remain without power nearly three weeks after strong winds tore through the lower South Island.
PowerNet said electricity had been restored to more than 50,000 people since the October storm.
Chief executive Paul Blue said recovery efforts were still underway and staff were in contact with the few customers who did not have power to understand their needs and ensure they had generators until the power could be restored.
“The network damage we saw in this storm was unprecedented and it’s quite an achievement to have power restored to so many,” he said.
“If there’s anybody who hasn’t heard from us and doesn’t have power, they need to get in touch urgently on 0800 808 587.”
In some cases, he said, power could not be restored quickly due to extensive damage to the service lines on their property.
Most PowerNet staff were starting to return to planned work.
He warned that some damage might not be immediately visible so there could be unplanned outages in the coming months.
“It’s important that we get back to our planned maintenance as quickly as possible to ensure our networks are resilient to future weather events.
“Our customers should be notified by their retailer of any planned outages and they can also keep an eye on our website for information,” Blue said.
“Everyone, from the PowerNet staff, our electricity industry colleagues from around the country, our contractors, suppliers and the entire community, rallied together to get through this and that’s something to be very proud of.”
The state of emergency was lifted for Southland and Clutha last Friday.
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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
