Electricity network companies around the upper North Island are on alert and preparing for a wet and windy Wednesday, with many arranging backup resources to be available should the weather impact power supplies to the extent that additional restoration support is needed.

Upper North Island electricity lines companies include Vector, WEL Networks, Top Energy, Northpower and Counties Power.

WeatherWatch has forecast strong winds on the back of a large low from Wednesday night to Saturday.

Upper North Island EDBs want the public to be aware of the potential hazards strong winds and rain can create.

Trees and branches crashing into lines and cars colliding with power poles in the wet are both possibilities until the worst of the weather passes.

People are being asked to consider putting garden furniture and trampolines away, as well as any loose material around the garden such as tarpaulins, as these all have the potential to be hazardous during the storm.

Although EDB crews are trained to work in all weather conditions and at any hour, there may be circumstances during which it is unsafe for them to begin or continue working to fix outages, for example during high winds or lightning strikes.

During a power outage, crews will work as quickly as they can to restore power, but please remember that the safety of the public and electrical field staff is of primary importance at all times. And most importantly, please, always treat downed lines as live at all times, report them immediately to your local electricity distribution business and stay well clear.

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