Pictured above: Holloways Beach Road.
We have crews out in force on the ground, where they have safe access to the network, and doing fault-finding network patrols in the air.
Crews were prioritising life-threatening emergencies yesterday and were able to safely restore power to more than 2000 customers in Cairns and on the Cassowary Coast, but there are still several thousand customers without power across Far North Queensland and we will be working to get as many as possible safely reconnected today.
We will need to wait until floodwaters recede in some of the worst-affected areas before crews can do a thorough damage assessment and tackle extensive repairs.
The Restoration Plan and Outage Finder will be updated in line with damage assessments: Outage Finder text view | Ergon Energy
This is a marathon restoration effort and we appreciate the community’s patience in the countdown to Christmas.
40,000 customers were without power at the peak of Cyclone Jasper and another 10,000 were impacted by the flood emergency, but we have local crews and their mates from across Queensland to support communities in the disaster recovery effort.
Any homes that have been damaged by the cyclone or subsequent flooding will need to be inspected by a licenced electrician before we can safely reconnect them to the network, so arranging an inspection should be a priority for customers whose service wires, switchboard or wiring may have been impacted.
If water has been through your property, do not use electrical equipment, including your switchboard. Water and electricity don’t mix.
During the clean-up we are reminding people to look out for fallen powerlines, which can be hidden by trees and other storm debris or submerged in floodwaters. If you see fallen powerlines, stay well away, warn others and report them to Ergon on 13 16 70. The priority for our crews will be to make the area safe for the community.
Pictured above: Kuranda