NORTHERN POWERGRID NETWORK SUSTAINING DAMAGE AS STORM MALIK CONTINUES TO HIT THE REGION

As at 1pm

• Storm Malik brings windspeeds of up to 75 mph and more severe than forecast
• More than 26,000 customers' power successfully restored
• Some 36,000 customers still affected as result of Storm Malik, predominantly in Northumberland and County Durham area
• More than 62,000 customers affected since 4am this morning
• Northern Powergrid engineers restoring power remotely wherever possible.
• Teams assessing damage to enable customer updates and coordinating repairs where safe to do so
• Continued gale force winds mean it is currently unsafe for teams to climb and repair damage to overhead power lines by fallen trees and flying debris
• Teams mobilised from across Northern Powergrid's other operating areas to worst affect locations
• Teams ready to carry out repairs in the field as soon as conditions permit
• Updates will be posted on website and social media to inform customers of estimated restoration times as soon as more information is available
• Customer support vehicles deployed to Wooler and Rothbury and welfare support arrangement being coordinated to support customers
• Local resilience partners being kept informed of affected areas

Northern Powergrid, the company responsible for the electricity distribution network across the North East, Yorkshire and northern Lincolnshire, is seeing damage to its power network as Storm Malik move across the region.

Whilst not at the levels of Storm Arwen, Storm Malik, has been more severe than initially forecast brought windspeeds of up to 75mph and caused power cuts for more than 62,000 customers, predominantly in the Northumberland and County Durham area. The storm started to hit from 4am onwards with the majority of damage being caused late morning and it remains active in Northern Powergrid's operating areas. The network operator is currently responding to more than 380 concurrent instances of damage, which will require repair. More than 26,000 customers' power supplies have been successfully restored by 1pm today.

Northern Powergrid's teams are actively assessing the scale of the impact and repairs required, ensuring it responds to emergency situations throughout and prioritising its response to ensure that faults which will get the most possible customers back on supply are tackled first as well as prioritising vulnerable customers.

Continued gale force winds mean it is still remains unsafe for its teams to climb and repair any damage caused to overhead power lines mainly by fallen trees and flying debris.

The network operator has enacted its incident response plans and has mobilised its teams to the worst affected areas so they are ready to carry out repairs as soon as conditions permit. As a result of the ongoing situation, Northern Powergrid expects that some customers could be off supply for the majority of the weekend. Wherever possible, Northern Powergrid engineers will continue to switch electricity through alternative routes on its network to get customers back on supply.

Northern Powergrid Director, Paul Glendinning, said: "Storm Malik is causing disruption to our network and the gale force winds are expected to continue across the weekend.

"Our engineers continue to do everything possible to assess the scale of the damage and prioritise the repairs required. We have all our resources in place and our priority is to deal with emergency situations, support our customers and ensure our people can work safely as soon as the conditions allow.

"Our contact centre is very busy but our teams are answering calls as quickly as possible. We've introduced a queue system on our website to help respond to customer demand and we will be ensuring our power cut map will be updated as more information becomes available about estimated restoration times for customers' power supplies. Updates will also be provided on our social media channels which we encourage customers to share. Storm Malik, whilst not at the scale of Arwen, has hit the region harder than was first forecast.

"We have mobilised our customer support vehicles immediately to ensure we have welfare arrangements in place and we are keeping local resilience partners informed of the communities worst affected as a result of Storm Malik.

"We thank our customers for their patience and would like to reassure them that we are doing all we can to provide updates about when we will be able to get their power safely back on."

Northern Powergrid's 24-hour contact centre has additional advisors who are offering customers support and advice. Customers can also use their mobile to visit Northern Powergrid's Twitter (@northpowergrid) and Facebook pages where the company will continue to provide regular updates and advice to customers and local communities.

Our Priority Services Members are being kept updated as a priority with thousands of text message already issue. Customers who are medically dependant on electricity, should use our emergency contact options when calling 105. Northern Powergrid will continue to keep local resilience partners fully updated to informed and local responses in local communities.

Northern Powergrid is warning local people who spot any damaged cables or equipment not to approach the area as equipment may still be live and pose a risk of electrocution. Customers must contact the company immediately by calling 105.

Power cut advice and tips include:

• turn off electrical appliances at the socket (this is particularly important for heating or cooking appliances as your power could be restored at any time and potentially cause a safety hazard)
• keep one light switched on so you know when power is restored
• keep a battery or wind-up torch handy - they're much safer than candles
• bookmark Northern Powergrid's online power cut reporting service on your mobile devices - www.northernpowergrid.com/power-cuts and add 105, the free power cut, to mobile phone contact details
• have a charged mobile phone with important numbers, including Northern Powergrid's contact details, easily accessible.
• check on your elderly or sick neighbours and relatives
• ensure you have warm clothing and blankets handy and some food and drink in your home that does not require electricity to heat or prepare it
• only call 999 in the event of an emergency.

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