NEWS DESK
Loss of power
Pictures: Yanni
Record callouts on wild night Stephen Taylor steve@mpnews.com.au DOZENS of trees were knocked down and havoc caused on the roads when south to-south-easterly winds of more than 100kph lashed the Mornington Peninsula overnight Wednesday 9 June. SES and CFA crews worked nonstop to help residents with water and tree damage to their properties and to clear fallen trees. United Energy said by early Thursday morning crews were working to restore power to 8615 homes and businesses after the “extreme weather which caused extensive damage to the electricity network”. “Severe winds, with sustained wind gusts from 11pm to 3am of more than 100kph, have brought down trees and branches onto powerlines and
caused extensive damage to the power network across Melbourne’s southeastern suburbs and the Mornington Peninsula,” United Energy’s Jordan Oliver said. “Crews are responding to more than 121 wires down and more than 421 faults.” The storm’s timing was ironic: Wednesday 9 June was Thank a First Responder Day. It was also the busiest night in SES history, with the SES state controller saying Hastings was the hardest-hit area on the peninsula. Residents made 190 calls for help in the 24 hours from midday Wednesday to midday Thursday. Other badly-affected areas were Sorrento with 84 calls, Mount Eliza 74, Mount Martha 46, Mornington 43, Rosebud 22, Somerville 14, Balnarring 12, Red Hill 11, and Rye 11. Somers SES was called to 118 incidents by 4.30am Thursday – mostly downed trees. Peninsula CFA crews
were just as busy, receiving dozens of calls for assistance. Mount Eliza CFA responded to five calls Wednesday afternoon. The last was to extinguish a power pole fire in Eliza Drive. Red Hill Fire Brigade, after receiving a request from police, rushed all their appliances to clear trees from roads with the help of residents using whatever heavy machinery was at hand. The crews managed to clear trees from White Hill, Arthurs Seat, Red Hill, Stanleys and Shands roads. Sorrento SES controller Mark Daw had not been to bed overnight as he was too busy attending call-outs. “I don’t know how many jobs we have been to, but it might be 50,” he said 11am Thursday. “It’s like a war zone with mainly trees down over roads and other hazards. “The calls came in from about
5.30pm yesterday (Wednesday) and started building from there. “We’ve had lots of rain and I’ve never seen wind like it. It got to a point where it was too dangerous. No one got much sleep last night.” Sorrento SES had three crews out (nine people) at 11am Thursday and still had another 11 or 12 jobs to complete before they could take a break. Mornington Peninsula Shire maintenance crews were working alongside SES and emergency services, while shire arborists were out across the peninsula responding to calls for help with fallen trees. Rapid response crews were collecting smaller debris and rubbish. “Due to the severity of the winds and impacts across the shire, it’s likely the clean-up will take up to four weeks. Branch pick-ups may take up to eight weeks,” interim director of place Jessica Wingad said.
UNITED Energy crews on Friday had restored power to more than 80,000 homes and businesses following severe windstorms which swept the Mornington Peninsula, overnight Wednesday 9 June. However, customers were being advised that some areas may not have power a “number of days”. Extra crews were being dispatched peninsula as restoration efforts continued. “Our emergency team, control centre and field crews have worked through the night to restore power to customers,” United Energy’s Jordan Oliver said. “An incredible amount of damage has been caused by fallen trees and debris, with our priority continuing to be on the safety of our field staff and the public while restoring power to our customers.” Mr Oliver said crews worked from daylight Thursday to “further identify faults and assess the extent of the damage”. “Repairs are well underway, however, in some cases the complexity and size of the work means it will take some days to restore power.” United Energy was responding to 801 faults and 289 fallen wires with 4312 customers without power. “We do understand how difficult it is to be without power for such a lengthy period, particularly during this cold weather, and we thank customers for their patience and understanding,” Mr Oliver said. “Our crews are working as safely and as quickly as possible to get power restored.” Fallen powerlines should be reported to the company on 132 099.
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Southern Peninsula News
16 June 2021
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