Reviving the Aftermath: Healing and Rebuilding after Two Storms’ Fury

Intense electrical storms late on Wednesday, January 15, caused destruction to energy infrastructure and toppled trees and powerlines, followed by strong winds that began on Friday, January 17.

Since Wednesday, the SES has received over 8,700 emergency calls, with numerous incidents related to live power lines. Teams will persist in addressing incidents over the forthcoming days.

At the peak of Wednesday’s tumultuous weather, 226,000 customers experienced power loss, and on Friday, more than 70,000 were disconnected. Some residences and commercial properties were impacted by both storm systems.

Although power has been restored to the vast majority due to the efforts of SES volunteers and workers from Ausgrid, Endeavour Energy, and Essential Energy, the extent of the damage has led to some extended outages. Certain tasks have necessitated complete reconstruction of sections of the network, which have required several days to accomplish. Some are situated in remote areas.

Ausgrid is informing customers that some outages will persist into early this week. Essential Energy personnel are now assisting Ausgrid in its recovery and restoration operations.

As of 6 am on Monday, January 20, approximately 8,600 residences and businesses across NSW remain without power.

• Ausgrid has 8,500 cases of power loss:
  • 1,500 in Newcastle/Hunter, including 350 in Port Stephens
  • 1,000 on the Central Coast
  • 6,000 in Sydney

Over 200,000 Ausgrid customers have suffered due to the storms.

• Endeavour Energy has about 100 customers without power in Sydney.
  This is a reduction from a total of 78,000 Endeavour Energy customers affected by the storms.
• Essential Energy has resolved all power outages caused by the storms.
  A total of 31,500 Essential Energy customers were impacted.

The safety of the public and energy crews is the foremost priority as teams work diligently to restore power.

Residents are advised to adhere to the following safety guidelines:

• Always presume a downed wire is live and hazardous; maintain a minimum distance of 8 meters from them.
• Steer clear of wires that are sagging, lying on the ground, or entwined in trees and storm debris.
• Never drive over fallen powerlines.
• Report fallen powerlines immediately by contacting your electricity distributor:
• If you’re utilizing a portable generator for electricity, be wary of harmful exhaust fumes entering your home.
• If you are facing an emergency, dial Triple 0 (000) or the Police Assistance Line at 131 444 for non-urgent issues.

The Australian and NSW Governments have confirmed a Natural Disaster Declaration for specific local government areas affected by these storms, with further assessments in progress. Discover more information regarding the assistance available.

The Minns Labor Government is also suspending the waste levy in many affected local government regions to accelerate recovery operations and alleviate financial stress on households and businesses.

Affected customers should reach out to their electricity distributor to determine if additional support is accessible. For instance, Ausgrid customers may qualify for up to $250 from Ausgrid to compensate for food spoilage due to power outages.

Minister for Energy, Penny Sharpe stated:

“Restoring power to hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses following these severe storms has been a monumental task, and we commend the SES volunteers and energy crews who have tirelessly worked to achieve this.

“This essential yet challenging work is ongoing. There are customers still lacking power, and we recognize how incredibly difficult that is. Crews are exerting every effort to reconnect everyone.”

Minister for Emergency Services, Jihad Dib remarked:

“The circumstances are demanding for communities and emergency responders, but we have also witnessed the resilience of individuals along with our remarkable emergency response volunteers and personnel.

“The NSW State Emergency Service and other first responders, including Fire and Rescue NSW, the NSW Rural Fire Service, and VRA Rescue NSW, have made a tremendous effort to assist communities in their recovery during these challenging times.

“The NSW Government is collaborating with councils and communities to provide assistance where required, with a joint federal and state funding already accessible for some LGAs and evaluations in place for others.”