Ergon Energy crews have been working around the clock to restore power to 66,000 customers who lost power during the peak of Tropical Cyclone Kirrily, a category 2 storm which crossed the Queensland Coast near Townsville over the weekend.
Ergon reported there were 4500 customers without power in Townsville, from a peak of 66,000 across the impact zone.
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“In the Burdekin, south of Townsville, we are very close to full restoration with around 100 customers without power. This is down from more than 9000 customers at the peak,” a spokesperson said.
It has been a phenomenal effort from 750 crews working in heatwave conditions to restore power across a widespread area, from Ingham to the Whitsundays and west to Charters Towers.
Tropical Cyclone Kirrily was the second tropical cyclone in the area since December when Ex-Tropical Cyclone Jasper caused widespread regional damage.
Ergon Energy general manager field delivery Chris Hooper said, “We had 66,000 customers without power at the peak of the event across the impact zone.
“In Townsville alone, more than 50,000 customers lost power because of trees, branches and other wind-borne debris bringing down powerlines. More than 9,000 customers in the Burdekin also lost power as the cane-growing community copped it from Cyclone Kirrily.
“Today we have around 600 crews involved in the restoration effort, including locals who have lost power themselves and are out there working to get the power back on to their communities.
Related article: Cyclone Jasper leaves 40,000 without power in Queensland
“We also have crews who have travelled from across the state to support another massive effort from our Ergon and Energex teams, after a string of natural disasters in quick succession,” Hooper said.
Those wanting updates can visit Ergon Energy’s Outage Finder, which is being updated with restoration timeframes.
