Utilities have moved swiftly to minimise the impact of wild weather in the top end restoring a majority of people to power within days of the event.
On Tuesday, approximately 17,000 of the almost 20,000 customers who experienced power outages as a result of Tropical Cyclone Fina that hit on the weekend, had had power restored.
The marathon effort by power and water crews went to work on Sunday 23 November, assessing damage and making infrastructure safe.
According to PowerWater, within 24 hours 7,000 customers had been restored and by 3pm Monday, 13,800 customers were back online.
Crews continued to work into the night, bringing our total to almost 17,000 customers restored in under 72 hours.
This involved about 200 Power Water team members from Darwin, Katherine, Tennant Creek and Alice Springs are involved in the cyclone response, working with a range of vegetation management, traffic control, civil works and electrical contractors.
Power and Water Public Utilities Group Lead Michael Besselink thanked customers for their patience, particularly where the complex solutions required more time .
‘Complex jobs involve extensive damage to infrastructure, such as several lengths of powerlines being out, or significant damage to conductors and power poles. In some instances, a complete rebuild of existing powerlines is needed.’
Complex jobs are located in Lee Point, Jingili/Rapid Creek, Alawa, Ludmilla, Humpty Doo, Dundee, Gunn Point and Coonawarra.
‘We are grateful to our dedicated crews and contractors, some who have lost power at their own home, and have worked long hours to restore essential services as quickly as possible,’ Mr Besselink said.
He also reminded residents that even during a prolonged outage, powerlines and fallen trees may be live and dangerous and to keep keep clear of fallen powerlines and report them to PowerWater
“The safety of the community and our people remains the priority.”
More information on the Power and Water website or by calling 1800 245 090.
