Horizon Power has completed its response to Tropical Cyclone Narelle and is now monitoring a tropical low in the North-West that may develop into a tropical cyclone later this week.
There were no unplanned power interruptions reported as a result of the impact from Tropical Cyclone Narelle, which passed off the coast of Denham late yesterday.
General Manager Operations Ziggy Wilk said Horizon Power's response to Tropical Cyclone Narelle demonstrated the experience and capability of Horizon Power in responding to emergency situations.
“Our Emergency Management Team developed possible scenarios of where Tropical Cyclone Narelle may travel based on regular reviews of weather reports and took action early to stay ahead of the cyclone’s path.
“We sent linecrew, equipment and materials to towns where the networks were most at risk from the cyclone’s damaging winds so linecrew could commence restoration work as soon as it was safe to do so.”
As an added preparatory measure, a helicopter was on standby in Carnarvon to enable transportation of linecrew and materials in the eventuality flooding in the area caused road closures.
Horizon Power's depots, power stations and project worksites were secured in preparation for the gale force winds and heavy rain that was forecast, however there was no damage to Horizon Power’s infrastructure.
“We were very fortunate with Tropical Cyclone Narelle; she tracked at a significant distance from the coast, so the transmission and distribution networks in all our towns did not experience the full brunt of the cyclonic winds or damage from flying debris,” said Mr Wilk.
“While there were outages in Exmouth and Onslow over the weekend, we do not believe they were cyclone related and the cause of these faults is being investigated.”
Linecrew have carried out full inspections of the electricity network in Onslow, Exmouth, Carnarvon and Denham to ensure the network is safe following the cyclone’s passage along the coast.
Additional linecrew mobilised to Onslow and Denham along with half of the linecrew sent to Exmouth have now returned to their depots. A linecrew led by a Horizon Power coordinator remains on standby in Exmouth in anticipation of a tropical low in the North-West developing into a cyclone.
Horizon Power has formally suspended its Emergency Management Team and Local Response Teams in Carnarvon, Karratha and Port Hedland and will continue to monitor the weather forecast to quickly resume its emergency response if needed.
Mr Wilk encouraged residents to continue with their cyclone preparations as further cyclones are expected this cyclone season.
“The strong winds from Tropical Cyclone Narelle may have caused minor damage to trees and other structures around homes and businesses, so I encourage clearing any debris and loose materials that may blow around in stronger winds and cause further damage to houses, cars and the electricity network.”
Contact Reference: Monika Dudek - Phone: 1800 799 745