On Wednesday afternoon (11 November), severe storms impacted the Mid North Coast and Northern Rivers regions, causing significant damage to the electricity network due to the high winds, rain and hail.

Initially, the storms caused power outages in those regions affecting more than 9,000 customers at its peak Wednesday evening. Crews worked to safely restore power to over 5,000 customers overnight.

As of 6.30am Thursday 12 November there are around 3,855 customers without power across the following regions:

• Port Macquarie Hastings region, including Wauchope and the surrounds – 1,335
• Northern Rivers, including Maclean, Yamba, Lismore, Tweed Heads and the surrounds – 2,520.

The storm caused a large amount of damage to the network, with large trees and branches falling onto powerlines. Crews are continuing restoration efforts this morning, working as quickly and safely as possible to restore power.

Customers are reminded to keep at least eight metres away from fallen powerlines, power poles and damaged electricity equipment, or 150 metres away if any part of the electricity network is covered in flood waters. Always assume that these powerlines are live and very dangerous. If you see fallen powerlines, please report the location to Essential Energy on 13 20 80 or via the Report a Fault form on our website. If you’re a life support customer and require assistance, please call 000.

Estimated times of power restoration are being updated on our website outages page as they become known. Please note, that some of the times may change with the ongoing weather conditions.

Customers affected will receive an SMS when updates are known. We encourage customers to ensure that their mobile number is up to date with their energy retailer and that they have not opted out for SMS contact.