Ausgrid warns northern beaches homes may be without power until Sunday
Around 3500 homes still without power on the northern beaches are likely to remain without until Sunday, as Ausgrid says damage was similar to what you would expect to see after a cyclone.
Manly
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More than 2000 homes on the northern beaches are still without power and residents could be waiting until Sunday to see their electricity switched back on.
The main impacted areas on the peninsula include Frenchs Forest, Belrose, Allambie Heights, St Ives and Duffys Forest and pockets of other surrounding areas.
Council facilities that are closed due to the outages include Belrose Childcare Centre, Belrose Community Centre, Glen Street Theatre, Glen Street Library, Wyatt Ave Reserve and Tennis facility and Lionel Watts Reserve and associated facilities.
Both reserves have temporary toilets to service them over the weekend.
Northern Beaches Council said it was opening up some of its other facilities to impacted residents including Forestville Library and Forest Community Arts Centre.
These co-located facilities will be open and staffed across the weekend 10am until 5pm to charge phones, use the internet or have a tea or coffee.
Hot showers are available at the Warringah Aquatic Centre open until 9pm across the weekend.
Mayor Michael Regan said the council was keen to support those who were still without power,
“We know some people are doing it tough and may still not have power into next week,” he said.
“It’s important we do whatever we can to provide our community with support in these times.”
Ausgrid’s Chief operating officer Trevor Armstrong said the network had suffered extreme damage.
“This is some of the worst damage we have seen in a concentrated area and is similar to what you would expect to see after a cyclone,” he said.
“We have hundreds of people working hard to make hazards safe and rebuilding sections of the network from the ground up and unfortunately this takes time,” he said.
The damage was caused by a storm with gusts of up to 85km/h on Tuesday.
Extra crews have been brought down from Newcastle and the Central Coast to help the storm response.
Ausgrid said 100 poles and 200kms of wire needed replacing over the network.
At least two homes in Belrose were devastated by falling trees, as well as multiple vehicles and fences.
One man was rescued from his car by firefighters after powerlines fell on it.
Wayne Lyne, local commander for the northern beaches SES, said the winds were like a tornado.
“We have not had wind of that calibre in the 20 odd years I’ve been with the SES,” he said.
Around 3,500 homes on the northern beaches are still without power and could be waiting as long as Sunday to see their electricity switched back on.
The main impacted areas on the peninsula include Frenchs Forest, Forestville, Davidson, Belrose, Allambie Heights, St Ives and Duffys Forest and pockets of other surrounding areas.
Ausgrid staff are doorknocking the hardest hit areas to provide more information to residents.
Chief Operating Officer Trevor Armstrong said the network had suffered extreme damage.
“This is some of the worst damage we have seen in a concentrated area and is similar to what you would expect to see after a cyclone,” he said.
NORTHERN BEACHES STORM PICTURE SPECIAL
Northern Beaches Council said its workers were helping to clear up the storm damage and suggested fallen branches and trees can go in the green bin or residents can take up to 300kg of green waste to Kimbriki each day, but remember to bring proof of address.
To have a kerbside collection call on 1300 434 434 or log an issue online and leave vegetation debris neatly piled on the kerb.