January 11, 2022
Ergon Energy crews have been making good progress restoring power to parts of the Wide Bay Burnett ravaged by ex-Tropical Cyclone Seth.
Ergon spokesperson Nick Grant said crews had been assessing equipment to ensure power could be restored as quickly as possible once it was safe to do so.
At 3:00pm on Tuesday, power had been restored to most parts of the South Burnett, except for about 160 customers in the Tansey / Boonara area.
“We know everyone affected want to know when we can get their power back on, but it is essential that equipment be checked for water damage before reconnecting power. The safety of the community and our crews is our number one priority while we work on getting power back on,” Mr Grant said.
“Water and electricity don’t mix and after a flood peak of 10 metres there’s the potential for not only our equipment but also in people’s homes and businesses being inundated and it all needs to be checked to ensure it’s safe.”
He said if people did have water come through their properties or business, they must get it checked by a licensed electrician.
“If the recent torrential rain has made its way into the ceilings or walls of your home or floodwaters have entered the building, you must contact a licensed electrician to check for damage to the property’s electrical system,” he said.
“If your home or business is damaged preventing the reconnection of power, have a licensed electrical contractor repair electrical damage. Notify us when repairs are complete so power can be restored.
“Likewise, any electrical household appliances that have been affected by water should be checked by a licensed electrical contractor before use, or simply thrown away.”
Ergon has brought in an extra 22 crew members to assist with the restoration of power to the affected areas of Maryborough, Kilkivan and Murgon.
Mr Grant warned some flood-affected areas would take longer to restore because of access issues.
“We really appreciate customers’ patience and will be doing everything we can to restore supply,” he said
“But there are roads cut and bridges under water and we follow the advice of Emergency Services that ‘if it’s flooded, forget it’.”
Estimates for restoration of power are available on Ergon Energy’s outage finder
