As of Thursday, April 12, nearly 55,000 houses woke up to no power on a chilly morning with the temperature falling to a 7.5 degree Celsius.
The ferocious storms on Tuesday night and early Wednesday morning earlier in the week brought the north island to a near standstill causing power outages in several regions in the city, uprooted trees, blown over roof-tops of houses and properties and cancelled ferry and air services.
Vector on Thursday confirmed to have reported 400 outages throughout Auckland, and network damage affected more than 100,000 people and the restoration to take another 48 hours, or as long as Sunday afternoon.
Auckland Emergency Management Director John Dragicevich on Wednesday said the contractors had been out all night to remove trees that are impeding power restoration work.
“We are working quickly to determine the full extent of the damage from last night’s storm.
“We will be prioritising cleaning up trees that have damaged power lines and clearing the roads from any storm debris that will impede traffic flow.
“Emergency Services received over 1600 calls overnight as a result of this event. If you or your property is at risk, call 111,” he said.
Met Services warned another series of thunderstorms, lightning and strong winds to expect overnight and through the weekend in Auckland, parts of Northland and Waikato region. The winds on Tuesday peaked at 213 kmph at Manukau Heads and 140 kmph in the city.
The temperature at several places dropped dramatically below sub-zero conditions during and after the storm. The temperature at Nelson Lakes fell to -4.8 C, Takepo -4 C, and Dunedin Airport -1.6 C, Blenheim -1 C and Taupo at -0.5.
A tree has fallen on a house on Sandy Bay Rd in Bayswater Auckland- Picture: Chris Skelton/Stuff
Auckland Council and Fire & Emergency New Zealand were flooded with thousands of storm-related calls.
A lightning strike very close to Wellington Airport took out runway lights and stranded passengers on Wednesday night. Several flights were cancelled following the lightning strike and the stranded passengers were tucked in blankets at the airport overnight, as the doors to the airport lounges remained shut for most passengers.
What to do with the waste on your property
Green waste shouldn’t go in your rubbish bin. If you find any green waste or organic debris on your property, we recommend contacting your local garden waste company, who can arrange for a collection. Alternatively, people can take this waste to their local transfer station or community recycling centre. Further details can be found on the council’s website.
Damage caused by a fallen tree on a house in Auckland. Credit- Chris Skelton/Stuff
What to do if your power is out
Auckland Emergency Management has issued instructions on what to do when the power goes down.
• Keep your fridge and freezer closed to keep food chilled.
• Throw away any frozen food that has been exposed to temperatures above 4C for two hours or more or that has an unusual odour, colour or texture. When in doubt, throw it out.
• If food in the freezer is colder than 4C and has ice crystals on it, you can refreeze it.
• Contact your doctor if you're concerned about medications having spoiled.
• Restock your emergency kit with fresh batteries, canned foods and other supplies.
• If your power is expected to be out for a day, conserve your hot water.
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