Storm safety

Fierce storms often bring lightning and strong winds that can cause widespread damage in communities. This can include bringing down powerlines or damaging other electrical assets both above and below ground.

These types of storms can occur at any time of the year but particularly during summer.

We advise people to follow three important steps to be prepared:

1. BE SAFE. Your health and safety is the priority.
2. BE SMART. If the power goes out, you’ll want to stay connected.
3. BE READY. Have a plan in place for back-up power.

But if a major storm is forecast, then follow these tips to know what to do immediately before, during and after a storm.

Before a storm

• Secure loose items like garden furniture, toys, trampolines and building materials that could become airborne in strong winds.
• If you choose to leave your home, make sure you turn off and unplug sensitive electronic equipment like televisions and computers before you go.
• Check your emergency plan and kit.

During a storm

• If you’ve lost power, turn off and unplug sensitive electronic equipment like televisions and computers.
• Beware of fallen powerlines. They can often be hard to see, for example, in doorways or on pathways.
• Stay at least 10 metres away from any fallen powerlines and anything in contact with them. Call us to report it immediately on 13 20 99.
• If your vehicle comes into contact with a fallen powerline or power pole, remain in the vehicle if it is safe to do so and call 000 immediately. See how to make an emergency escape below for more information.

After a storm

• If you chose to leave your home, check emergency services information to see if it is safe to return.
• Check our outage map for the estimated time that power will be back on.
• If your power outage is not shown, then report it to us online here.
• Be cautious when checking for damage around your home as there may be fallen powerlines.
• If power is back on to your street and not your property, then there may be damage to your private service. You will need to contact a licensed electrician to repair and reconnect your electricity safely.

Network response

• We monitor weather closely to make sure our crews are ready.
• We make sure all high priority maintenance is completed.
• Field work may be reduced leading up to the event so crews are fresh and able to be called in at all hours.
• Resources including field crews, network operators, Customer Service Agents and equipment are on stand-by for immediate response.
• We’ll coordinate with other emergency services to clear fallen trees on roads and for directions to ensure it is safe for our crews to travel into storm affected areas and to respond.
• Our focus will be on reducing the number of customers affected and restoring power as quickly and safely as possible.
• We’ll send messages to customers via SMS if there is a power outage and including an estimated time of restoration. Initially, this estimate is dependent on a full site assessment by our crews.
• We’ll keep our outage map and list up to date.
• Our Mobile Engagement and Response Vehicle (fondly known as MERV) may be deployed into affected communities. This provides an on-the-ground place to talk with our people about power supplies and offers 20 charging lockers for small devices like mobile phones as well as cup of hot tea.