Power restoration after today’s storm

29 April 2019 at 8:21 pm

Power is being progressively restored to 4,000 households following high winds and heavy rain which caused power outages across the Central Canterbury region this evening.

As at 8pm Orion had restored power to around 2400 customers, with around 1600 remaining without power.

The multiple outages in 11 different locations were slowing Orion’s restoration efforts.

Steve Macdonald, Orion General Manager of Infrastructure said: “We have called in multiple crews and it is all hands on deck.

“Our network has been damaged in many places, and our crews will not be able to safely identify the work involved, and fix all the faults tonight.

“Unfortunately, this means some customers will need to be prepared to be without power until the morning.

“We’d like to thank people for their patience, and advise them to call our Contact Centre which operates throughout the night, for updates.”

Orion advises customers to treat all power lines as live at all times and keep a safe distance away from downed lines.

Customers are advised to check the Outages section of Orion’s website, or call its Contact Centre at any time on 0800 363 9898.

ENDS