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31 October 2007
Get set for the wetTropical storms are a fact of life in the Top End and with more than 30,000 lightning strikes likely this season, Power and Water are ramping up their preparations and urging residents to look around their own properties to ‘get set for the wet’. One of the most important things you can do is to check that trees are not too close to, or touching, powerlines. During high winds and heavy downpours, branches coming down onto powerlines are one of the most common reasons for power outages. However, residents shouldn’t trim them themselves but call Power and Water.
“It’s essential to have a three metre clearance because in stormy weather, not only do trees get blown around but the power lines swing also". Joining one of the Power and Water crews, for bird’s eye view up in the trees will be the Minister for Essential Services, The Hon Kon Vatskalis MLA. Who: The Hon Kon Vatskalis MLA, Minister for Essential Services
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Power and Water’s Bertram Birk, General Manager, Power Networks, said “Growth rates on many plants can be four times higher here than in cooler climates and we know that trees and palms cause a quarter of all power outages in the Top End.