A few minutes now could save a lot of grief if Cyclone Oma does its worst this weekend.
Franklin Local Board Chair Angela Fulljames says there are a lot of things residents can do ahead of the bad weather tipped to hit the region.
“Counties Power already has teams on standby to respond to an emergency, but a quick check around our own properties might mean they have one fewer to deal with.
“Trees near power lines contribute significant damage to the network in storms and can take out the power to entire neighbourhoods, so a check there is nothing likely to come down would be wise,” she says.
While forecasting weather was not without its difficulties, Mrs Fulljames says it was only sensible to be prepared.
“No one want to alarm anyone but doing simple things like putting away outdoor furniture, trampolines and other objects can save a lot of problems.
“Because so many of us in the Franklin area rely on pumps, making sure we have water on hand, checking the gas bottle is full, that the torches go, and that phones and tablets are charged, are just sensible precautions.”
In the event the weather is as bad as expected, Counties Power’s website will have outage notifications.
Weather events present special difficulties for rural areas like Franklin.
“While many of us are in urban environments, we also have a lot of our people in the country, and a lot of animals and livestock that need to be considered. But we also have wonderful networks where people look after each other, so a quick check on the neighbours and those we know are alone never goes amiss.”
For further information and to stay up to date check the civil defence website and Auckland Emergency Management.
