Hawkesbury residents are being encouraged to prepare their homes and make a power-outage plan as NSW enters its peak storm season.
Endeavour Energy has warned that strong winds, thunderstorms and severe weather can bring down trees, damage electricity infrastructure and leave homes and businesses without power.
September generally marks the beginning of the storm season in NSW. During September 2025 alone, NSW State Emergency Service volunteers responded to 1,037 storm-related incidents across the state.
Endeavour Energy Chief Customer and Strategy Officer Leanne Pickering said access to accurate and timely information was particularly important when severe weather disrupted electricity supplies.
“Severe weather can cause significant disruption for customers, particularly when power outages occur,” Ms Pickering said.
“While our crews will always be working to restore power as quickly as it is safe to, we know that having access to timely, reliable information helps customers make informed decisions, stay connected and better manage the impacts of an outage.”
The company has upgraded its website to make it easier for customers to check current outages, report problems and obtain real-time information during emergencies.
Residents can also take practical steps before severe weather arrives, including securing loose outdoor furniture and equipment, cleaning gutters and checking roofs for damage.
Vegetation should be trimmed only when it is safe to do so, and people must remain at least three metres from the point where powerlines connect to their property.
Mobile phones, portable batteries and other communication devices should be fully charged when severe weather is forecast. Households should also have working torches, spare batteries, emergency telephone numbers and a battery-powered radio readily available.
“We encourage customers to prepare their homes ahead of severe weather by securing loose outdoor items, trimming vegetation around their property where it’s safe to do so, charging mobile devices and batteries, and having torches and emergency contacts ready,” Ms Pickering said.
Prepare before the warning
NSW SES Assistant Commissioner Sonya Oyston said the period from September to April was generally the service’s busiest time for storms, although damaging weather could occur at any time.
“Strong winds, thunderstorms and low-pressure systems can develop quickly and cause significant damage to homes, property and essential infrastructure,” Assistant Commissioner Oyston said.
“The best time to prepare is before severe weather is forecast.”
Households are advised to identify the location of their fuse box and main switch and ensure they are protected from possible water damage.
Outdoor electrical appliances should be switched off at the power point and moved somewhere they will remain dry.
Families should also prepare for the possibility of an extended outage by ensuring they can access essential food, drinking water, medications and communication devices without mains electricity.
People who depend upon electrically operated medical equipment should have an emergency plan and know what they will do if power is unavailable for an extended period.
Stay clear of fallen powerlines
Residents are being reminded to treat every fallen or damaged powerline as live and dangerous.
People should remain at least eight metres away from fallen wires and must never drive over them.
Contact should also be avoided with wires hanging low, lying on the ground or tangled in trees.
Fallen or damaged powerlines should be reported immediately to Endeavour Energy’s 24-hour emergency line on 131 003.
Portable generators must be operated outside and well away from open doors and windows because their exhaust fumes can cause fatal carbon-monoxide poisoning.
Generators should never be connected directly to a household switchboard unless an appropriate isolation switch has been installed by a licensed electrician.
An incorrectly connected generator can send electricity back into damaged powerlines, creating a potentially fatal risk for electricity workers and members of the public.
Residents can check current outages and access storm-preparation information through the Endeavour Energy website at endeavourenergy.com.au.
For life-threatening emergencies, call Triple Zero (000). For emergency help during floods and storms, contact the NSW SES on 132 500.
