Ergon Energy crews are continuing to work around the clock to restore power to residents in North Queensland affected by intense rain and flash flooding.
Thousands of residents in Townsville and Ingham were forced to evacuate and Ergon said the weather event was having significant impacts on the electricity network, with Ingham Substation switched off for public safety due to rising floodwaters.
Related article: Ergon de-energises flooded substations in North Queensland
“After a break in the weather, we commenced aerial fault-finding patrols of Ingham and surrounding areas to assist with restoration planning,” a spokesperson said.
“Power has been restored to the community of Palm Island, customers at Bluewater, Balgal Beach, and Magnetic Island where safe to do so.
“We have crews working to restore all remaining customers at Giru and Cardwell, which have both been impacted by flooding.
“Ingham is a major focus as the whole community remains without power and is isolated.
Crews left Townsville to begin aerial fault-finding patrols over Ingham and surrounding areas this morning, but had to pause because of unsuitable flying conditions.
“This will give us a clearer picture of any faults on the overhead network as we work on a restoration plan while we wait for floodwaters to drop.”
The town of Ingham has borne the brunt of the flooding and power outages.
“We had to de-energise the Ingham Substation for public safety on Sunday as floodwaters were rising,” Ergon’s spokesperson said.
“This is a bulk supply point for several thousand customers across Ingham and surrounding areas, so we appreciate the impacts on the community, including the staff from our local depot.
“Crews will need to inspect and test critical equipment at the substation, including transformers.
“They will also need to patrol the feeder lines on the ground and do damage assessments across a widespread area.
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“Until we have been able to assess the damage, we cannot provide accurate restoration timeframes, but we are throwing everything at this response and will update the community as soon as we have firmer timeframes.”
Residents in flood-affected areas are warned to exercise extreme caution when outdoors, as fallen powerlines can be hidden in floodwaters. Stay well away from any fallen powerlines and report them to emergency services on 000.
