KEY POINTS:
Telecom is testing a system to keep communications going even after connections are cut by storms such as last year's big snow in the South Island.
Thousands of South Island homes lost electricity and telephone services for days last June when heavy snow brought down power lines.
South Canterbury was worst hit and is the site of a Telecom trial to provide crucial communications back-ups in the event of a similar event.
"Telecom have been trialling a project in South Canterbury which they hope will be the model for the rest of New Zealand," said Timaru Civil Defence manager Mark Bang.
"Essentially it involves identifying key installations in their network, and, where possible, working with the local community to keep it going. This might involve installing wiring to enable a local farmer to plug in a generator from the outside to keep batteries charged."
Civil defence authorities are also urging people to ready themselves for winter storms after heavy snowfalls in recent days. More than 300 homes lost power over the weekend as major snowfalls hit the Deep South.
Mr Bang urged people to store supplies of drinking water, non-perishable food and pet food, a small gas burner or log burner for cooking, a torch with spare batteries and a battery-powered radio. "Supplies should be enough for at least three days, but if you can supply for more than that, that is excellent."
