Thousands of lightning strikes accompanied severe thunderstorms in Auckland, New Zealand, leaving some households facing a longer-than-usual wait for electricity as repair work mounted.
Here's what to know
Lines company Vector reported localized outages in West Auckland and on the North Shore.
The utility cautioned that affected customers could wait longer for service to return, according to Radio New Zealand.
Vector linked the slower reconnections to the amount of repair work required across its network.
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More background
Much of Auckland experienced hail and downpours during the storms, RNZ reported.
Damage to essential services can undermine public health, community safety, and economic stability.
Further heavy rain remained possible, even though MetService had no warnings in effect at the time of the report.
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What's being done?
Repairs remained underway across Vector's network as crews worked to reconnect customers.
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Beyond the loss of electricity, fallen power lines posed an immediate safety risk.
Vector advised residents to report downed lines immediately and avoid approaching them.
Where can I learn more?
Storms have also left U.S. communities facing electrical hazards and lengthy repairs. These stories cover lightning damage to homes, widespread power cuts, and prolonged waits for reconnection.
• Thunderstorms knocked out power to nearly 8,000 customers in Texas's El Paso County.
• A homeowner returned to dim lights and a dead outlet after lightning struck next door.
• Kansas homes remained without power nearly six weeks after a storm, amid scrutiny over aid.
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