Emergency crews working to get the power on

Ergon Energy crews are working hard to restore power to communities impacted by Tropical Cyclone Ita.

Energy and Water Supply Minister Mark McArdle said emergency crews were well prepared and well positioned for Tropical Cyclone Ita, but it remained a developing situation and safety must be the first priority.

“Heavy rains, localised flooding and continued category one cyclonic wind gusts have left sections of Ergon’s network affected and last night crews were unable to begin repairs in many areas,” Mr McArdle said.

Mr McArdle said more than 13,000 customers across the Far North spent the night with power.

“People in both urban and rural areas can be assured that everything that can be done is being done, and I would appeal to people to be patient,” he said.

“Ergon now has more than 500 field staff on standby across affected districts and awaiting deployment from locations further south, including 180 specialist substation staff based in Townsville and Cairns.

“Providing electricity to essential services such as hospitals, nursing homes and water pumping stations must come first.”

The timeframe for restoring electricity will depend on access and the extent of the damage that emergency crews discover.

More help is arriving for the residents of Cooktown, Hope Vale and Wujal Wujal who have been without electricity for two nights.

Ergon was last night able to fly in staff to support local crews and a further reinforcement contingent is scheduled to fly into Cooktown this morning, weather permitting.

Heavy equipment was last night standing by to be deployed to Cooktown via barge as soon as Cairns Port reopens. This equipment will include borer/lifter trucks, EWP (elevated work platform) vehicles and extra spares.

With air access opening to areas north of Cairns, Ergon also expects to deploy helicopter support for crew movement and network assessments today.

Mr McArdle said community safety was everyone’s responsibility.

“If people know of lines being down or other dangers they should report them to Ergon Energy. They should also alert others to the danger,” he said.

“People should regard every fallen power line as being live and keep well clear.”

More information and advice is available through the Ergon Energy website https://www.ergon.com.au/outages--and--disruptions or the Get Ready Queensland website http://www.disaster.qld.gov.au/

[ENDS] 13 April 2014

Media Contact: Phil Hind 0437 334 183