MEDIA RELEASE

13 December 2016, 3.30pm Release No: 12

On track for power to be restored tonight

Eastland Network crews are on track to restore power to the Gisborne district by tonight with one of the high voltage circuits supplying Gisborne close to being repaired. The weather is favourable at the moment but this could change in the high country where the fatal light aircraft accident occurred yesterday.

Spokesman Andrew Gaddum said two of the three lines were repaired and the third is in the process of being fixed. This first repaired circuit would provide full power to the district.

Three more lines will need to be repaired.

Eastland Network general manager Brent Stewart said about 20 people were working on the repairs including transmission asset specialists.

“To make complete repairs to the second circuit and restore security of supply, we will need to have another outage. We will endeavour to do this at a time to minimise inconvenience to the public. We hope to announce tomorrow morning when this might happen,” Mr Stewart said.

He said it was important that appliances, in particular sensitive electronic equipment, were turned off and unplugged from the wall and turned on again once power was restored.

“Power will be restored gradually across the region, starting with the central business district. This could take about an hour and a half hours once power is restored. People can safely leave a light on to show when power comes back on.”

Meanwhile, businesses and agencies with generators may want to consider holding on to them until both circuits of the transmission line are repaired. They will need to choose whether to start taking their generators off line once the power comes back on.

Mr Stewart said the crews would do as much preparation as possible to effect the second lot of repairs.

“The more we can do in preparation, the more we can reduce the next outage time. However, weather will be a big factor in this.

“Please continue to treat lines as live at all times.”

Tairawhiti Civil Defence controller Patrick Willock said that although people were asked to prepare for a second night, it was still hoped power would be restored tonight.

“And we ask the community to continue checking on their elderly neighbours. We acknowledge the job that Eastland Network has done in such a short time, particularly in such a site with difficult access. It’s been a massive achievement which the community appreciates.”

It is possible that the power outage in Gisborne may continue for another 24 hours. Please plan to ensure your business is secure by considering the following;

Gisborne police advise business owners to continue planning for another night without power by:

• removing items from windows that might tempt thieves

• removing valuables and easily targeted items such as cigarettes and cash when they are absent from their store

• placing a notice on their door or window to let people know this has been done.

Please report any suspicious behaviour and in an emergency dial 111.

KEY ADVICE TO THE PUBLIC

Power

• Treat lines as live at all times.

• Turn off all power appliances at the wall.

• If you live on the East Coast from Tolaga Bay north or west at Whatatutu, Otoko and Puha and you had power yesterday and overnight, this was provided by generators. Today, Tuesday, power to these areas will be intermittent.

Water

• A water tanker is available to Wainui residents at the Wainui Surf Lifesaving Club until about 8pm today. Residents can also bucket water out of their tanks.

• Save water both inside and out. That means limit the times the toilet is flushed. No watering of the garden.

Cooking and food

• Use gas for cooking either inside on a gas hob, or outside on a gas barbecue.

• The fire ban has been lifted to enable people to cook outside on an open fire if necessary.

• Some fast food outlets have their own generators.

Health

• Please check on your neighbours, particularly the very young and very old.

• Gisborne Hospital is open. Because lines have been overloaded, a new phone number has been provided. This is 06 869 0528. If there is an emergency, please ring 111 as usual.

• Most GP practices remain open today but are working at reduced capacity due to difficulty accessing electronic notes.

• Limit visits to the GP to urgent or emergency visits.

• People needing to boil water for baby formula could boil it on gas or a gas barbecue, or use bottled water.

• Limit the times you open the freezer or fridge to help conserve your food.

• Ice could be used to keep food cold in a chilly bin.

• Take care with food while power is off to minimise your risk of getting sick.

• Always wash and dry your hands before preparing food. Use clean water and soap or hand sanitiser if possible.

• Eat perishable foods first, for example bread and meat, as they spoil faster than non-perishable food.

• Open the fridge or freezer as little as possible.

• Throw out rotting or tainted food before it spoils other food.

• If in doubt, throw it out.

When the power goes on again

• A full, well-functioning freezer should be able to keep foods frozen for two days if the freezer temperature is normal.

• A half-full freezer will keep foods frozen for about one day.

• If the food in your freezer has begun to thaw, check each item to see if it is safe to eat. Perishable items, if still chilled, can be cooked and should be cooked thoroughly. Defrosted food cannot be refrozen.

• Partially thawed food in the freezer may be safely refrozen if it still contains ice crystals or is cold to touch. Partial thawing and refreezing may affect the quality of some food.

Schools

• Parents should check with their schools as to whether they will be open tomorrow.

ends

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