Monday 3pm:
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274 customers remain without power west of Wauchope, primarily in the Pappinbarra area.
Essential Energy received clearance from the RFS this morning to access the fire affected areas to commence line patrols. Crews have started some repairs with more than 20 power poles, and associated infrastructure, being destroyed and requiring replacement.
Extra crews from Taree are assisting local teams but unfortunately these customers will not have their power restored tonight.
Essential Energy has text messaged all affected customers, provided updates via social media and continues to keep Life Support customers informed.
Forty-one customers in Timber Ridge, Port Macquarie, also remain without power however Essential Energy expects to have the power restored to these customers late Monday afternoon.
Monday, 10am: There is just over 600 customers across Port Macquarie and west of Wauchope who remain without power following the gale force winds that moved across the Mid North Coast on Sunday (February 12).
At the height of the wind storm 19,000 customers, predominantly around the Hastings area, were without power with crews working throughout the night to get the power back on to the majority of people.
Areas that remain without power include:
- 480 customers west of Wauchope/Pappinbarra – Essential Energy has received clearance from the RFS to enter the area and start patrolling the network. Crews are investigating the damage now with extra crews travelling from Taree to assist with repairs. Once they know the full extent of the damage they will be able to provide an estimated time of restoration.
- 82 customers on the North Shore remain without power due to an underground cable fault. Essential Energy has sourced a generator and hope to have power restored to these customers just after lunchtime Monday. Crews will then continue with repairs to the underground fault.
- 41 customers in the Timber Ridge area are without power, also due to an underground cable fault. Repairs have commenced however a generator is being sourced to allow Essential Energy to get the power back on for customers in this area by late Monday afternoon.
Monday, 6am: It was a weekend of wild weather across the Mid North Coast with heatwave conditions up to 50 degrees scorching some parts of the Hastings.
On Sunday (February 12), more than 15,000 customers across the Mid North Coast experienced unplanned power outages into the evening when strong winds lashed the area.
Trees came down over powerlines in a number of areas, damaging lines, poles and electrical equipment such as transformers.
Crews and specialised zone substation crews responded, making repairs, patrolling lines and working as quickly as safety would allow to get the power back on.
Seven hundred customers remain without power as of 5.50am Monday, February 13. These areas include 400 customers west of Wauchope in Pappinbarra and surrounding areas, 150 customers in Lake Cathie near the Ocean Club Resort, 82 customers at North Shore due to a blown high voltage cable, 41 customers in Timber Ridge/Shelley Beach.
Areas affected included:
Laurieton – 4,500 customers were without power due to a tree coming down over both high and low voltage powerlines in Ocean Drive. Crews were able to backfeed power around the network to restore power to just under 3,000 customers, with repairs being completed and power returned to the remaining 1,700 customers at 1.20am.
Lake Cathie – 1,800 Lake Cathie customers lost their power due to a broken cross arm at 9.30pm. Crews responded immediately and restored power to customers at 2.50am, some cuustomers at the Lake Ocean Resort remain without power and Essential Energy is working with the resort to get power back on.
Port Macquarie – Over 10,000 customers within Port Macquarie were affected by outages yesterday evening.
Crews restored power to 8,000 customers in the Industrial Estate, Clifton, Settlement Point, North Shore and Clearwater areas at 9.52pm. Power was lost at 8.10pm when a bat came in touch with infrastructure in the Boronia Street Zone Substation.
Two thousand customers in the Timber Ridge and Shelley Beach area lost their power at 4.50pm when a tree came down and damaged lines and a transformer in Pacific Drive near the Timber Ridge roundabout. Crews have been able to make some repairs restoring power to all but 40 customers.
A second fault in an underground cable has been located and crews will continue with repairs today. Customers will be kept up to date.
Wauchope – Power has been restored to 1,250 customers in Wauchope
West of Wauchope – Pappinbarra, Bellangry, Byabarra
Due to the fires west of Wauchope Essential Energy is unable to gain access in to the area to patrol lines, identify faults and make repairs. Outages in these areas are affecting approximately 400 customers.
Kempsey – 1,100 customers were without power in Kempsey with crews able to restore supply at 11pm.
Other areas that experienced power outages include 337 customers at Coramba, 112 customers in Kyogle, North Casino, Coutts Crossing, Barringtoon, Wards River, Stroud and further north in Ewingsdale.
Customers are reminded to stay at least eight metres away from powerlines and to call Essential Energy on 13 20 80 to report lines down or network damage.
Updates will continue to be provided on Facebook and Twitter and customers can contact Essential Energy on 13 20 80.