Victorian communities left without power by severe weather events such as storms, fires, and floods will now have access to a mobile charging point and internet van, courtesy of electricity provider AusNet.
Following community feedback after the catastrophic February storms, AusNet has invested in four Emergency Management Mobile Assistance vehicles (EMMAs), which will be deployed to communities impacted by future large scale unplanned outages.
Each vehicle will be staffed by AusNet representatives and equipped with charging points for mobile devices and satellite internet access.
AusNet Executive General Manager Network Operations Andrew Linnie said AusNet had listened to the community and were investing in the safety and social connection of residents.
“We attended community engagement sessions following the storms to hear from communities about the issues that impacted them most. They told us that mobile phone charging and internet access are essential for regions impacted by long-term unplanned outages caused by severe weather events, so these will be incorporated into the vehicles,” he said.
“They will also have a defibrillator and first aid, with our representatives trained in their use, for the unlikely event of them being needed.
“These vehicles will provide important relief for communities. We will be able to deploy them quickly in response to prolonged outages, and we hope they will provide important respite and essential advice on network restoration to people when they most need it.”
As extreme weather events become more and more frequent due to climate change, Mr Linnie said it was important that local governments and communities find solutions to better deal with power outages and ensure they were well-equipped to deal with such events.
“The first of the EMMAs is now operational, with the three larger vehicles due for completion by the end of the year currently being modified,” he said.
Vehicle deployment will be decided on a case-by-case basis by a team of senior AusNet staff involved in the incident management efforts during large-scale unplanned outages.
“When determining vehicle deployment, every incident and location is different. We’ll make assessments based on a range of factors such as the progress of the event, the estimated restoration time, and the location of relief and recovery centres, among other things,” Mr Linnie said.
