Right now, in this order
Check on people first
Anyone hurt, or still in contact with something live? Don't touch them. Call 000.
Stay back from fallen lines
Ausgrid and Endeavour Energy both say to keep at least 8 metres from fallen wires, which Ausgrid puts at about 2 car lengths. Treat every line as live, even a quiet one.
Switch off at the main switch, only if it's dry and safe
Skip this step if the meter box is wet, smoking or sparking, or you'd be standing in water to reach it.
Ring the right number
The network for lines and blackouts, the SES on 132 500 for storm damage to the house, and an electrician for faults inside.
How Sydney's storms play out
The west takes the wind
On 26 November 2025 a severe windstorm hit Endeavour Energy's Sydney network, with 70,000 customers affected at its peak and more than 650 reports of dangerous electrical incidents. Repairs centred on Western Sydney, the Hills District, the Hawkesbury and South West Sydney.
Then again in spring
Gale force winds on 5 September 2026 affected 62,256 Endeavour Energy customers at peak. Penrith, Windsor, Londonderry, South Windsor, Springwood and the Lower Blue Mountains were among the hardest hit.
Southerly busters
From October to the end of March, a southerly buster can swing a northeasterly into a southerly gale within ten minutes. Save your network's number before the season starts, not halfway through a storm.
Heavy rain and flooding
During the storms of 7 to 10 February 2020, 391.6 mm of rain fell on Sydney in four days. Ausgrid says a flood-damaged property must be checked before the power goes back on, and air conditioners and pool pumps near the ground should stay off until inspected.
Who to call in Sydney
| Who | Number | |
|---|---|---|
| Fire, smoke, or someone has had a shock | Emergency services | 000 |
| Line down, sparking pole or a dark street on Ausgrid's network | Ausgrid | 13 13 88 |
| The same in the Greater West or the Blue Mountains | Endeavour Energy | 131 003 |
| Storm damage to the house, like a tree through the roof | NSW SES | 132 500 |
| Only your place is out, a switch won't reset, or a power point is scorched | A licensed electrician | Tell us the job, or call one you already use |
Is it the network or your wiring?
Look out the window. If the streetlights and the neighbours are out, it's the network's to fix. Ausgrid and Endeavour Energy both run live outage maps, and Ausgrid also offers SMS outage alerts.
If it's only you, go to the switchboard. Reset a tripped safety switch once, with the appliances on that circuit unplugged. No tripped switch and still no power? Ring the network before an electrician, since the supply line itself may be the problem. If they say it's on your side, that's when you need a sparky.
Renting in Sydney
Under NSW tenancy rules, any electrical fault in a rental is an urgent repair, and a faulty safety switch is one too. Tell your landlord or agent straight away; they have to get urgent repairs done within a reasonable time.
A broken smoke alarm has a firmer deadline. The landlord must repair or replace it within two business days of finding out, and a hardwired one has to be done by a licensed electrician.
Getting an urgent job to an electrician through us
Choose Something's not working and mark it urgent. If we have a licence-checked electrician near you who does fault finding and urgent repairs, we pass your job to them and they contact you. We can't promise how fast.
What's yours to do, and what isn't
You can
- Reset a tripped safety switch once, with that circuit's appliances unplugged.
- Unplug anything that sparked or smells hot, and leave it unplugged.
- Keep pool pumps, air conditioners and anything that sat in water switched off.
- Photograph damage from a safe distance for the electrician and your insurer.
Leave to a licensed electrician
- A switch that won't stay on, or a board that's warm, buzzing or scorched.
- Checking wiring and appliances after flooding or a power surge.
- Any repair to power points, lights or the switchboard.
- Storm damage at the meter box, with a Level 2 provider for the network side.
If it happened at our place
We'd keep the network's number in every phone in the house, Ausgrid or Endeavour depending on the suburb, and a torch near the switchboard. When the lights go, we'd look outside before touching anything. If the street's dark, the outage map will say so and it's the network's problem. If it's only us, we'd reset once, then call an electrician rather than flicking the switch over and over.
Want a specialist to sort it?
Tell us the job and your postcode. We match the licence-checked local electrician who does this kind of work, and they call you. No ring-around, and your number goes to them alone.