Power outages or interruptions can be caused by events such as:
- severe weather, including lightning, floods, heatwaves, bushfires or high winds
- trees contacting powerlines
- animals
- car accidents and
- digging near underground powerlines.
In most cases, power will be restored quickly, however it can sometimes be longer depending on the nature of the disruption.
With a little bit of knowledge and pre-planning you can minimise the impact of power outages on you and your family.
Be prepared
Power outages can occur at any time. To prepare, you should have a plan and an emergency kit, which includes:
- access to a charged mobile phone and a mobile battery/power pack or car phone charger
- a torch or a battery-operated light
- alternative cooking facilities such as a BBQ that don't require electricity to operate
- a battery-powered radio for up-to-date information during power outages and loss of mobile phone reception
- access to fresh or bottled water
- a safely stored important contacts list
- access to information and updates from your electricity distributor.
Consider your needs and your family’s needs. More information on taking care of your family, including care of young children in an emergency go to the Better Health Channel.
You can also visit the Energy Victoria website for more information and important contact details.
Special needs
You should contact your electricity retailer (the company you pay for your electricity) to let them know if you or someone in your home are dependent on power due to medical or special needs. Make sure they have up-to-date contact details in case they need to reach you during an emergency.
If you rely on power-dependent devices, such as a medical alert device, we recommended that you contact your device provider about the operation of your device during a power outage.
Be aware that if you have solar panels, your power will still go out unless you have a battery storage system set up for off-grid operations.
For more information, or to find this information in another language, please visit the Energy Victoria website page.