Hunter Valley residents have been urged to stay cool ahead of Wednesday’s forecasted extreme weather conditions.
With the temperature gauge set to peak between 38 and 41 degrees throughout the region on 22 October, Ausgrid is highlighting the importance of taking steps to prepare beforehand.
While the heat will abate somewhat 24 hours later, high 20s and low 30s are predicted for the end of the week.
“Taking the time to store water bottles in your freezer to ensure you have cool drinking water, and making sure you know how to operate electric garage doors, gates and water pumps manually is key to preparing your home,” Ausgrid’s group executive for operations Sam Sofi said.
“The best time to get ready is now, while the power is on.”
To prepare for an unexpected outage:
- Keep phones, laptops and power banks charged, especially if you see extreme weather warnings for your area
- Portable BBQs and camp stoves are good back-ups if you rely on electric appliances for cooking
- Put together a home emergency kit with items like medication, torches and a portable radio
Ausgrid has postponed some non-essential work across Sydney, Central Coast and Hunter, including Mayfield West, on the back of warnings from the Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) and NSW Rural Fire Service.
Total Fire Bans have been declared, too.
Mr Sofi explained that in making the decision to cancel jobs, Ausgrid considered the safety of both citizens and crews, the nature of the projects and the number of customers affected.
“During these periods of extreme weather, the safety of everyone remains our priority,” he said.
“Ausgrid has emergency crews on standby ready to respond to any power outages that occur across the network.
“Proactively reviewing and postponing certain work is an essential part of our extreme weather response.
“It allows our operations team to ensure our emergency crews are ready to respond to any unplanned outages as quickly as possible.”
Ausgrid customers can opt in for text message notifications to get up-to-date information about all work in their area or they can contact the company directly on 13 13 65.
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