Outages or potential causes of outages could be reported to Northpower faults on 0800-10-40-40.
If there were outages overnight crews would do their best to attend to what they could. However, if any major repairs were required they would be made in daylight.
He warned people to stay clear of downed lines.
MetService issued a severe thunderstorm warning at 4pm today with the weather radar detecting severe thunderstorms near Rawene, Broadwood and Kohukohu.
These severe thunderstorms are moving towards the south and are expected to be accompanied by very heavy rain.
Very heavy rain can cause surface and/or flash flooding about streams, gullies and urban areas, and make driving conditions extremely hazardous.
The Ministry of Civil Defence and Emergency Management advises that as storms approach you should:
- Take shelter, preferably indoors away from windows;
- Avoid sheltering under trees, if outside;
- Move cars under cover or away from trees;
- Secure any loose objects around your property;
- Check that drains and gutters are clear;
- Be ready to slow down or stop, if driving.
During and after the storm, you should also:
- Beware of fallen trees and power lines;
- Avoid streams and drains as you may be swept away in flash flooding.