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03 January 2008
Power and Water in readiness for wild weather across the Top End
Areas in the northern Victoria River, Darwin-Daly, Roper-McArthur and districts are expected to be affected and Acting General Manager, Networks, Trevor Allwright said, “We prepare for conditions like this each year with crews ready to be dispatched from major regional centres to deal with power lines being damaged by falling trees, trees being blown into power lines causing outages and lines being brought down by destructive winds. “It’s vital that people watch out for fallen power lines and under no circumstances touch them. People need to be aware that just because the line is down, its doesn’t mean its ‘dead’ or harmless, it can still be very much ‘live’ and if you’ve got lines down into flood waters you may not see them easily especially in a boat or wading around in muddy water.” Each wet season Power and Water stock up on a range of ‘spares’ to deal with these conditions however, with causeways being flooded sometimes getting heavy equipment in to trouble spots can be delayed. In the event of a cyclone being tracked they will also move crews and equipment to near the site in readiness to start restoring power supplies as soon as possible. Power and Water also warns members of the community that water supplies may become contaminated during floods so to follow any official advice issues about water supplies and not to use gas or electrical appliances which have been in flood water until they are checked for safety. They also stress that the sewerage system should not be used to provide drainage for excess water as this can cause overloading of the system and increase the potential for sewage overflows into homes, businesses and the environment. Contact: |
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With wild weather set to increase this week, Power and Water Corporation is busy ensuring that electricity, water and sewerage systems are protected against the predicted high winds and possibility of flooding.