Entire Australian State Without Power After 'unprecedented' Storm
Muhammad Rameez Published September 28, 2016 | 06:40 PM
SYDNEY,(APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News -27th Sep,2016) : The entire state of South Australia was without power Wednesday after being pummelled by a "unprecedented" storm, with the blackout causing chaos as authorities warned of more wild weather.
The state -- about one and a half times the size of France and with a population of some 1.7 million -- lost power Wednesday afternoon after severe thunderstorms struck with destructive wind gusts of up to 140 km per hour (87 mph), torrential rain and large hailstones.
Trees were torn down, roofs ripped out, thousands of homes and business were without power and cars were gridlocked on flooded roads as traffic lights stopped working in what South Australia's Premier Jay Weatherill said was an "unprecedented weather event".
"We had winds which were so strong that when they hit power lines they were creating such energy, they were tearing the towers out of the ground," he told reporters. "We had 80,000 lightning strikes that were hitting our generators.
All of these events together have combined to bring our (power) system down." Mobile phone coverage was also disrupted and the loss of power at pumping stations was affecting water and sewerage systems, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported.
Weatherill said there were no reports so far of serious injuries or deaths but called on people to avoid travel as authorities sought to restore the network "in the coming hours", with power returning to some suburbs in the capital Adelaide late Wednesday.
He added that the grid had shut down to protect itself after a "dramatic drop in frequency" in the power network. SA Power Networks, which runs the state's electricity distribution network, tweeted that South Australians should "brace for extended outages and ensure you conserve mobile device battery".
"We're experiencing a statewide outage and have no supply from the upstream transmission network," it added. The stormy conditions were forecast to continue through Thursday, Bureau of Meteorology senior meteorologist James Taylor told AFP, bringing strong winds and persistent rain.
"It's definitely an unusual event to have such a deep low pressure system approaching the coast at this time of year," he said. "Speaking broadly, it certainly seems to be one of the most intense systems we've seen for some time, with people not being able to remember anything like it in the last 10 to 15 years." Federal Energy Minister Josh Frydenberg told Sky news "serious questions" would be raised about how a major state's entire electricity supply could be knocked out by severe weather.
Related Topics
Recent Stories
Tennis: ATP Barcelona Open results - 1st update
Swiatek's perfect 10 in Stuttgart as Vondrousova stuns Sabalenka
Arandu's roads closed due to flooding
Oil tanker catches fire in Islamabad’s Blue Area
Pakistan committed to ensure safety of foreign nationals: FO
Tennis: WTA Stuttgart results - 1st update
Four passengers injured as train hit an empty vehicle
Over- speeding bus crushed to death two bike riders
Turkey's Freedom Flotilla ready to set sail for Gaza
French teen dies from heart failure after knife attack near school
Iranians appear unfazed by Isfahan blasts
UAF celebrates Int'l Chinese Language Day
More Stories From World
-
Togo lawmakers approve contested political reform
2 hours ago -
NATO must choose 'whether we indeed are allies': Zelensky
2 hours ago -
US House to vote on Ukraine, Israel, Taiwan aid package
2 hours ago -
Calls for calm after reported Israeli strike on Iran
3 hours ago -
IMF calls on EU to deepen single market integration to boost growth
3 hours ago -
Second Ecuadoran mayor killed ahead of anti-crime referendum: police
3 hours ago
-
Oil, gas drilling blocked in Alaska wilds as Biden seeks green cred
3 hours ago -
Man sets self on fire outside Trump trial
3 hours ago -
Turkey's Freedom Flotilla ready to set sail for Gaza
5 hours ago -
French teen dies from heart failure after knife attack near school
5 hours ago -
Iranians appear unfazed by Isfahan blasts
5 hours ago -
Ecuador mayor killed ahead of anti-crime referendum: police
5 hours ago