Power update: Going down, 1400 waiting for power to be restored
Power and Water crews have restored power to the majority of homes that went without in the aftermath of Cyclone Fina. Read the latest. FREE READ
The majority of the major post-Cyclone Fina repairs have now been completed with about 1400 homes remaining without power.
The number of home without power post the then Category 3’s passage past the Top End on Saturday has rapidly declined due to the efforts of Power and Water in the days since.
Power and Water have said they’re into Phase 3 of the Cyclone recovery program with previous phases including assessing damage and fixing major infrastructure.
The latest phase which began on Monday afternoon involves connecting individual homes that were still experiencing power outages.
About 1,400 customers remain without power as of midday on Wednesday with those who have yet to report requested to call 1800 245 092.
“If you have told us, please check the service line to your house,” a Power and Water statement read.
“If it has come loose, the connection point is damaged or your property has water damage, you must first contact an NT-licensed electrician to check your wiring before we can reconnect you.
“They will lodge a Certificate of Compliance (CoC), which lets our crews know your property is safe to reconnect.
“If you have already had an electrician visit and they have completed your CoC, you will be on our list and we will get to you as soon as possible.”
Just 2100 now without power
November 25, 6pm: Power has been restored to all but 2,100 homes across the Northern Suburbs.
It brings the total number of Power and Water reconnected customers in the wake of Cyclone Fina to 17,400 of the 19,500 that lost power.
Complex jobs remaining are located in Lee Point, Jingili/Rapid Creek, Alawa, Ludmilla, Humpty Doo, Dundee, Gunn Point and Coonawarra
“We will continue to update our outages map as the power comes back on,” a statement published by Power and Water read.
“Within 24 hours of Cyclone Fina passing Darwin 7,000 customers had been restored and by 3pm Monday, 13,800 customers were back online. Crews continued to work into the night, bringing the total to almost 17,000 customers restored in under 72 hours.”
Approximately 200 Power and 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 said the restoration effort has been all hands on deck.
“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,” he said.
“We’re also extremely grateful to our customers for their patience and understanding during the big job of restoration. Especially those in areas affected by a complex restoration job, which will take longer.
“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 remind customers that, even during a prolonged outage, powerlines and fallen trees may be live and dangerous. So please keep clear of fallen powerlines and report them immediately by calling 1800 245 090,” Mr Besselink said.
Power update: 5,700 waiting for power to be restored
November 24, 12pm: Power and Water crews are making good headway with 5,700 homes left to get their power to return.
Of the 19,500 blacked out by Fina around 13,800 homes have had their power restored.
Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro pledged that Power and Water staff will be working around the clock to get all power back on as humanly as possible.
“What we know is that works are really focused on restoring power to as many homes and businesses as possible,” Ms Finocchiaro said.
“Overnight, we had crews out around the clock making sure that we got schools back on line, ready to get kids in classrooms and all but two schools were able to open, which is great news for our kids and for families.
“That important work of restoring power to homes is incredibly critical.
“As people begin to get tired of course of living in that situation for the last couple of days, we are really focused on making sure that the Territory gets back to business as usual as fast as possible.
“We’ve seen a number of shops and government services reopen and of course making sure that people can go about their day safely.
“Sunday emergency services stood up at the crack of dawn to be out there cutting down trees, removing debris, opening up roadways and letting Territorians out of their homes who have been trapped by downed trees in their front yard.
“And that work was exceptional.
“Today Territorians can expect to see more of that.
“And of course then the clean up right around the Top End and in our remote communities. There is debris everywhere, including downed power lines.
“So we continue to ask people to exercise caution and move freely about their day to do what they need to do.”
Ms Finocchiaro said it was still too early to say what the clean up of Cyclone Fina is going to cost.
“But we are doing all of those assessments right now and we’ll know more in the coming days,” she said.
Of course, we will be looking to the impact it’s had on local councils, as well to Territorians, and then we’ll continue to work with the federal government collaboratively, as we have had this entire time.”
Power and Water said crews are out completing major repairs across areas affected by Tropical Cyclone Fina, with restoration works now underway in Wurrumiyanga.
“We are experiencing a high volume of calls at this time and we appreciate your patience while we work to restore services to all customers,” it said in a statement.
“We will continue to update our outages map as the power comes back on, you can find it at https://www.powerwater.com.au/cyclone/home/_nocache
“If the map says you should have power, but you don’t, please report it on 1800 245 092.
“To report a dangerous situation, such as a fallen powerline, call us on 1800 245 090.
Thank you for your continued patience.”
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Originally published as Power update: Going down, 1400 waiting for power to be restored
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