Residents in one of the country’s biggest regional centres has been left in total darkness after a freak tornado wreaked havoc across the Australian Outback, destroying a string of seven electricity towers.
Townspeople in Broken Hill, in the far west region of outback NSW, are now relying on a diesel-powered generator after being smashed by the mega storm on Wednesday.
Power infrastructure owner Transgrid said teams were currently racing to respond to the damage, but repairs would take weeks.
Outlying townships across the sunbaked stretch of NSW remain in darkness as of Friday.
Images of the devastated 220,000-volt towers show them bent and buckled by the ferocity of the storm.
Although the Bureau of Meteorology has not officially classified the cell as a tornado, a spokesperson said the destruction left in its wake gave a good indication of its raw power.
‘The damage to infrastructure that occurred south of Broken Hill is consistent with … the possible presence of a tornado,’ a spokesperson said.
The city of Broken Hill (pictured) in the far west region of outback NSW is now relying on a generator after being smashed by a ‘tornado’ on Wednesday
An Essential Energy spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia that power would be restored to affected townships as soon as local infrastructure was given the all-clear.
‘Essential Energy is hopeful of having power restored to 1,400 customers in Menindee, Wilcannia and Sunset Strip this afternoon/evening, after a significant storm caused extensive damage to the transmission network on Wednesday night bringing several transmission towers down south of Broken Hill,’ the spokesperson said.
‘Essential Energy teams are completing aerial inspections along the powerlines from Broken Hill to Menindee, Sunset Strip, and Wilcannia, to check for any additional damage before restoring power.’
‘If no further damage is found, power will be restored, otherwise, repairs will be arranged.
‘Customers will receive updates if their power is to remain off overnight.’
Broken Hill was currently being supplied power through a large diesel generator owned and managed by Transgrid.
‘Essential Energy continues to work closely with Transgrid and state government organisations to ensure a safe power supply for customers across the Broken Hill region,’ the spokesperson said.
Seven electricity towers were destroyed when the ‘tornado’ struck, cutting power to Broken Hill and surrounding towns
Essential Energy also has four 1750kVa generators heading to Broken Hill which were due to arrive on Monday.
The generators would be connected to the Pinnacles Place Substation which feeds power to the rural communities outside of Broken Hill.
They would then be utilised as required, providing a contingency plan to add to the reliability of power as repairs to the transmission network take place.
The spokesperson urged residents to help manage the grid’s workload.
‘Customers are encouraged to help us maintain power for the community by switching off non-essential appliances such as pool pumps, clothes dryers, dishwashers and similar between 5.30pm and 10.30pm daily,’ the spokesperson said.
Transgrid and Essential Energy reminded residents to maintain a safe distance from any fallen powerlines.
Power to Broken Hill (pictured) is currently being supplied through a large diesel generator owned and managed by Transgrid
A Transgrid spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia, ‘Transgrid is working closely with Essential Energy to coordinate the energy supply response for Broken Hill, after a severe storm caused significant damage to the transmission network Wednesday night.’
‘Transgrid’s back-up supply is performing well in ongoing poor weather conditions, and it will soon be supplemented when needed by additional generators sourced by Essential Energy.
‘Transgrid is on site 24/7 to support this ongoing operation.’
The spokesperson added, ‘We thank people for their patience.’
NSW Energy Minister Penny Sharpe said she was working with local MP Roy Butler to ensure the community has the required support.
‘I need to be very up-front here, this is a huge event …and it’ll take a while to repair,’ she said.
‘It’s a significant event, it’s going to be challenging for Broken Hill and those smaller towns, but we’re bringing everything on to get them up as soon as we can.’
Australians in the country’s southeast are on high alert amid a supercell storm that has already brought golf ball-sized hail, flash floods and torrential rain to parts of Australia.
The storm system has been wreaking havoc across central and northwestern Victoria, with the state hit by heavy rain and large hail on Wednesday and Thursday.
Meteorologists have warned more destructive weather is in store for Friday, with Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra and Hobart all expected to be hammered by rain, thunderstorms and damaging winds.