Storm Arwen
 

Still blowing a gale here just North West on Lincoln, can hear the wind howling.
Northern PowerGrid have sent out this broadcast email, I tip my hat to them and say well done for sending it out.

NORTHERN POWERGRID NETWORK SUSTAINING DAMAGE AS STORM ARWEN CONTINUES TO HIT THE REGION

Storm Arwen brings windspeeds of up to 100 mph and largest storm to impact our electricity distribution network since 2005
More than 219,000 customers affected since 6pm last night (26 November)
More than 111,000 customers' power successfully restored
Some 108,000 customers still affected as result of Storm Arwen
Continued storm force winds mean it is currently unsafe for teams to climb and repair any damage caused to overhead power lines by fallen trees and flying debris
Our engineers are restoring power remotely wherever possible and teams of hundreds of employees are poised and ready to carry out repairs in the field as soon as conditions permit
We are asking customers to only contact us if they need to report a dangerous electrical incident or are off supply and are medically dependent on electricity
We are continuing to see significant damage to our power network as a result of Storm Arwen.

The storm force winds of up to 100mph have caused power cuts for more than 219,000 customers, mainly in Northumberland, County Durham and Tyne and Wear and continued severe gales of more than 65mph are forecast until around 6pm this evening. More than 530 instances of damage requiring repair have occurred since 6pm yesterday. More than 110,000 customers' power supplies have been successfully restored by 11.45am this morning. Continued gale force winds mean it is still remains unsafe for our teams to climb and repair any damage caused to overhead power lines mainly by fallen trees and flying debris. Travel in some areas is also proving very difficult and unsafe due to the ongoing weather conditions.

As a result of the ongoing situation, we expect that many customers will be off supply for the majority of the day and into tomorrow, or when it is safe to carry out restoration and repairs.

Our 24-hour contact centre is understandably receiving a high volume of calls and so we are asking if Customers could help us by only contacting us on 105 if they need to report a dangerous electrical incident or are off supply and are medically dependent on electricity. Customers can also use their mobile to visit our Twitter (@northpowergrid) and Facebook pages where the we will continue to provide regular updates and advice to customers and local communities.

Power cut advice and tips include:

turn off electrical appliances at the socket (this is particularly important for heating or cooking appliances as your power could be restored at any time and potentially cause a safety hazard)
keep one light switched on so you know when power is restored
keep a battery or wind-up torch handy - they're much safer than candles
bookmark Northern Powergrid's online power cut reporting service on your mobile devices - www.northernpowergrid.com/power-cuts and add 105, the free power cut, to mobile phone contact details
have a charged mobile phone with important numbers, including Northern Powergrid's contact details, easily accessible.
check on your elderly or sick neighbours and relatives
ensure you have warm clothing and blankets handy and some food and drink in your home that does not require electricity to heat or prepare it
only call 999 in the event of an emergency.
Yours sincerely

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Louise Lowes
Head of Customer Services


macafee2

Good post. My house alarm goes off internally at some point after a power cut. I have to disconnect the backup battery then when power comes back on, have to reverse process as alarm goes off again.