KEY POINTS:
Bandana Kumar said residents of Whetstone Rd in Flat Bush, South Auckland, are scared to walk or let their children play outside because of the "looming" danger.
The 220kV conductor line, attached to pylons on Te Irirangi Drive, suddenly snapped last Friday - falling across at least 16
properties, damaging cars and homes, and burning through fences on neighbouring Whetstone Rd.
But the fact no one was hurt has been of little consolation to Mrs Kumar.
"It's still above our heads - it's just hanging there and every time we go outside now our heads automatically go up to the power line," she said.
"We're thinking: Oh my God, is it going to fall again?"
Catherine Tia was getting ready to walk out the door when the cable crashed down on to her car.
"If I came out five minutes earlier, I'd be hurt - or dead."
The cause of the cable failure is still unknown.
Mrs Kumar, whose car, fence and roof were damaged, said residents no longer felt safe and were finding every reason to be out of the house for as long as possible.
"We want to run away. Everybody wants to sell and go, but we're just stuck," she said.
"Who'd want to come in this area, when you've got power lines dropping on your heads?"
Next door, at Tha Lam's house, the clean up has started after the family's kitchen and garage were damaged when the cable crashed on to the garage, causing the fusebox inside to explode and burning a hole through the kitchen wall.
Mr Lam, his wife, mother-in-law and two young daughters were evacuated from their home, but were allowed back yesterday.
"Big mess. We had nothing to say - just shocked," Mr Lam said.
"Our dining chairs, the fridge, the blinds, the garage door - all need to be replaced."
Mr Lam's mother-in-law Cuc Huyuh - who was home alone when the cable fell - told the Herald on Friday that she ran for her life when she heard the explosion.
Mr Lam said: "We look at all the things that are broken and need to be replaced - we're lucky that nothing happened to her because all that can be replaced but not her. Lucky everyone is safe."
Transpower spokeswoman Adele Fitzpatrick said line tests and investigations - including aerial tests in a helicopter - will be carried out to find the cause of the breakage.
Mrs Kumar said moves to have powerlines buried should be under way to keep people safe.
"What is the guarantee that this sort of thing won't happen again? You can't wait for 100 people to die from something like this before doing something."
