Major support announcement after thousands left without power following storms in far west NSW

Residents impacted by a severe storm that left more than 12,000 homes were left without power will soon have more help on the way.

Residents affected by a storm that left more than 12,000 homes and businesses without power in far west NSW will soon have access to a range of supports.

A severe storm destroyed seven Transgrid transmission towers in the Broken Hill region on October 17, causing power cuts to the massive region of western NSW and the South Australian outback.

More than 12,000 homes and businesses were without power, many for prolonged periods.

The affected area spanned more than 400km from Menindee (south of Broken Hill) to Tibooburra near the Queensland border.

In South Australia, power was restored to all but 1000 homes and businesses by October 19.

But the outages persisted in NSW, and on October 21, Broken Hill’s main generator failed, leaving the town of 17,000 people to rely on privately owned diesel generators.

More than 12,000 homes and businesses were left without power following the storms. Picture: 9News

Seven Transgrid transmission towers were destroyed. Picture: Supplied/Transgrid

Restaurants, pharmacies and households have ditched hundreds of thousands of dollars of spoiled food and medicine.

The government has now moved to establish a Recovery Assistance Point (RAP) in Broken Hill from Tuesday to help residents and businesses recover.

The NSW Reconstruction Authority (RA) will manage the RAP, which is set to open from 10am to 6pm at the Broken Hill Aged Care and Wellness Centre.

Residents will be able to access mental health services, community not-for-profits, and government representatives.

Other supports include Service NSW (including Business Concierge), NSW RA, Vinnies, Red Cross, Legal Aid and Insurance Council of Australia.

RA staff will also on Tuesday visit the Menindee Civic Hall on Tuesday from 10am to 3pm, the Wilcannia Community Hall between 11am and 3pm, the White Cliffs Sporting Club between 10am and 1.30pm, and Albert Hall in Tibooburra between 11am and 2pm.

Foodbank will provide 1000 food hampers from early next week, which will be funded by the Australian and NSW governments in line with Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements (DRFA).

The affected area spanned more than 400km from Menindee (south of Broken Hill) to Tibooburra near the Queensland border. Picture: 9News

Federal Minister for Emergency Management Jenny McAllister said “recovery takes time”, but the government is “committed” to providing assistance.

“It has been an incredibly difficult time for the Far West and this assistance will help affected families and businesses access food relief, government services and other financial support,” Ms McAllister said.

“Recovery takes time. We’re committed to helping impacted communities in the Far West for the long haul.”

The fresh announcement follows the roll out of support payments of $200 to residential electricity account holders affected by the outage, as well as $400 for small-to-medium businesses.

Member for Planning and Public Spaces Paul Scully said the NSW government is “here to help”.

“This is an incredibly challenging time for communities in the Far West,” Mr Scully said.

“The in person support available through the Recovery Access Points can help to provide the personalised solutions to problems that people need and are looking for.

“If you need help, please get in touch with us through one of the Recovery Access Points as soon as you can.”

Minister for Emergency Services Jihad Dib also assured those affected the government is “working hard to help manage the region’s recovery”.

Originally published as Major support announcement after thousands left without power following storms in far west NSW