Let there be light! Power nearly restored to final victims of catastrophic Xmas Day storm

Electricity is expected to be restored to most homes and businesses still without power after the catastrophic Christmas night storms as early as tomorrow, despite fears the mammoth operation could take weeks.

Electricity is expected to be restored to most homes and businesses still without power after the catastrophic Christmas night storms as early as tomorrow, despite fears the mammoth operation could take weeks.

More than 700 Energex workers from across the state are working around the clock to finish repairing an “unprecedented” 1000 fallen power lines, mainly on the Gold Coast, after the storms smashed the area.

Hundreds are working on Tamborine Mountain which bore the brunt of what has been labelled a tornado.

About 130,0000 homes, businesses and community buildings lost power in the storms and Acting Energy Minister Grace Grace said about 97 per cent now had electricity.

Energex crews have worked around the clock to restore power. Picture Lachie Millard

Around 2750 homes and businesses on Tamborine Mountain were still without power on Saturday but it was hoped most would be restored by Sunday night.

Energex area manager Chris Graham said this would exclude about 900 homes and businesses across the Coast and Scenic Rim that have been deemed unsafe to have power re-connected.

“Well over 125,000 customers have been restored to this point (but) we’re not taking our foot off the throttle,” he said.

One of the snapped concrete poles behind Beaudesert. Picture: Energex

“We have all the resources that we need to keep working safely to get those supplies back on.”

Ms Grace said the Electrical Trades Union was launching “Operation Energise”, offering free electricity safety checks and reconnections for the likes of pensioners and uninsured home and business owners.

She said the State Government had received 92,000 applications for disaster payments and had so far paid out about $8.5m to those impacted by the storms.

“We very rarely go into an area where there are over 1000 wires down - that's almost a record number in this area,” she said.

The clean up required a mammoth effort. Picture: Richard Walker

Scenic Rim deputy mayor Jeff McConnell said the community was still reeling from the “harrowing” storms, with many residents and businesses still without power and thousands of trees down.

He said Tamborine Mountain had been devastated, losing all power and communications and roads cut off “for days”.

Energex workers restoring power lines at Tamborine where over 1000 workers have been deployed from all over the state to help restore power to the region devastated by the Christmas Day storms. Picture Lachie Millard

Cr McConnell said the community had rallied but would need state and federal help with the clean-up after Australian Defence Force troops called in to help clear the worst of the debris left the area.

Tamborine Mountain councillor Amanda Hay, who was among those still without power, thanked the community for pulling together “in this really, really stressful time”.

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“From the morning after the storm, we had an unending supply of volunteers with chainsaws assisting the SES to clear the roads, because virtually every road on the mountain was impassable,” she said.

“We’re very tight-knit up here, we pull together.”

A free community BBQ was being held on Saturday at the Tamborine Mountain Showgrounds to thank locals for their efforts.

Originally published as Let there be light! Power nearly restored to final victims of catastrophic Xmas Day storm