ID :
106307
Fri, 02/12/2010 - 17:25
Auther :
Shortlink :
http://m.oananews.org//node/106307
The shortlink copeid
Melbourne cleans up after wild weather
(AAP) - Electricity supplier Powercor hopes to restore power by midnight Friday to about 1,000 homes in Melbourne's west still without electricity, as the mop-up from Thursday's wild storms continues.
About 40,000 customers in Melbourne and Victoria's west lost power during severe
thunderstorms and lightning, and 1,000 were still waiting to be reconnected on
Friday.
The wild weather caused commuter and traffic chaos and damage to more than 500 homes.
Senior weather forecaster Phil King said 45mm of rain fell in just half an hour on
Thursday in Melbourne's west, with 34mm in the city centre.
The average February rainfall for Melbourne is 46mm.
The city catchments collected between 20mm to 30mm with rain continuing to fall in
the state's northeast and in Gippsland.
Over the past 48 hours, the State Emergency Service (SES) responded to more than
1,000 calls for help across Victoria.
About 550 volunteers from almost 70 units responded to calls for assistance between
Wednesday and Friday, with most calls received between 3pm (AEDT) and 5pm on
Thursday.
Powercor spokesman Damien Batey said the worst-hit areas were parts of central
Victoria, including Bendigo and Kyneton, as well as Melbourne's western suburban
corridor, including Sunshine, Werribee, Laverton and St Albans.
"Unfortunately, the faults that we've incurred are over a very large geographic
area, and because they're all smaller customer jobs ... it takes crews time to work
through a large backlog of smaller faults."
By 6pm about 1,000 customers in Melbourne's west including Melton, Rockbank, Toolern
Vale, St Albans, Sunshine and Deer Park were awaiting reconnection, he said.
More than 20 additional crews, including some from other power companies, have been
brought in to tackle outstanding jobs in the western suburbs.
Eighty workers were attending to jobs in Melbourne's west on Friday night to
reconnect power to the remaining 1,000 customers.
"It's our hope and expectation to get them all back on this evening," Mr Batey told
AAP.
He said additional crews from other power companies would be on standby on Saturday
in the event some customers were still without electricity.
SP Ausnet said 6,500 of its customers had lost power, mainly in Melbourne's east,
but by Friday afternoon all homes had been reconnected.
About 40,000 customers in Melbourne and Victoria's west lost power during severe
thunderstorms and lightning, and 1,000 were still waiting to be reconnected on
Friday.
The wild weather caused commuter and traffic chaos and damage to more than 500 homes.
Senior weather forecaster Phil King said 45mm of rain fell in just half an hour on
Thursday in Melbourne's west, with 34mm in the city centre.
The average February rainfall for Melbourne is 46mm.
The city catchments collected between 20mm to 30mm with rain continuing to fall in
the state's northeast and in Gippsland.
Over the past 48 hours, the State Emergency Service (SES) responded to more than
1,000 calls for help across Victoria.
About 550 volunteers from almost 70 units responded to calls for assistance between
Wednesday and Friday, with most calls received between 3pm (AEDT) and 5pm on
Thursday.
Powercor spokesman Damien Batey said the worst-hit areas were parts of central
Victoria, including Bendigo and Kyneton, as well as Melbourne's western suburban
corridor, including Sunshine, Werribee, Laverton and St Albans.
"Unfortunately, the faults that we've incurred are over a very large geographic
area, and because they're all smaller customer jobs ... it takes crews time to work
through a large backlog of smaller faults."
By 6pm about 1,000 customers in Melbourne's west including Melton, Rockbank, Toolern
Vale, St Albans, Sunshine and Deer Park were awaiting reconnection, he said.
More than 20 additional crews, including some from other power companies, have been
brought in to tackle outstanding jobs in the western suburbs.
Eighty workers were attending to jobs in Melbourne's west on Friday night to
reconnect power to the remaining 1,000 customers.
"It's our hope and expectation to get them all back on this evening," Mr Batey told
AAP.
He said additional crews from other power companies would be on standby on Saturday
in the event some customers were still without electricity.
SP Ausnet said 6,500 of its customers had lost power, mainly in Melbourne's east,
but by Friday afternoon all homes had been reconnected.
