HERE ARE SOME IMPORTANT THINGS TO BE AWARE OF:

• The power can sometimes go off again soon after we’ve restored supply. You hate it, we hate it, and we’re on it. Usual suspects: customer reports of a serious fault that force us to de-energise for everyone’s safety, or secondary faults (for instance, a previously undetected issue that triggers network protection systems).
• The strong winds forecast for the Gold Coast region tomorrow are a worry. Gusts at the predicted 45km-plus/hr can bring down damaged-but-not-yet-fallen branches onto lines we’ve just spent the past week restringing. It’s a common occurrence after the severe weather we’ve just experienced – if this occurs, we’ll respond as soon as we can.
• We’re aiming to have power available tonight to every property that can be safely resupplied. If your place has sustained electrical damage, we can’t reconnect you until your electrician makes repairs and confirms that you’re good to go. More on this process on our website.
• We’ve already received hundreds of requests for reconnections after repairs, and all of our reconnection teams are onto it. IMPORTANT: make sure your electrician has signed off on the reconnection paperwork (Electricity Defect Report, or a Certificate of Test) and has called to let us know on 13 62 62. Without these steps, we won’t know that you’re safe to be reconnected.
• There’s likely to be some brief power interruptions in Alfred-affected areas over the next week or so. This is so we can switch back to full network supply in areas where we’ve been supporting customers with generation, and also to support shifting load back into its usual configuration.
• If you’re in the dark while your neighbours have power, there could be an individual fault just affecting your place, and we mightn’t know about it unless you tell us: 13 62 62.
• Keep watch for fallen powerlines, especially in the windy conditions predicted for tomorrow. It’s easy to get complacent after such a long, stressful period which saw more than 1600 powerlines brought down, but always treat ANY wires as though they’re live and dangerous: report any new incidents ASAP to 13 19 62 or 000 (Triple Zero), stay at least 10m clear, and warn others.

Our tenacious, weary teams were incredibly disappointed that some 11th hour issues prevented us from getting power to everyone we’d hoped to resupply last night; but we’re back out in force again today. The photo below gives you an idea of the sheer numbers of our troops heading out just from our Burleigh marshalling site this morning, and they’re being backed up by crews from other sites - well over 1200 people doing hands-on restoration work.

We’re leaving nothing in the tank. To those who have been without power for up to 11 days now, thank you your patience and for keeping the faith…we’re nearly there.

• If your place sustained electrical damage, you'll need to get an electrician to make repairs before we can reconnect you to the network. More on our website.
• If you're in the dark while your neighbours have power, there could be an individual fault which we might not know about it unless you tell us: 13 62 62
• How water not heating up once the power’s back on? Give us a call on 13 62 62.
• Report fallen powerlines to 13 19 62 or Triple Zero (000) if you’re in any doubt as to whether they’ve already been logged, and continue to stay well clear.

‘Zombie trees’ have put a dent in restoration. Today, we encountered large trees which had managed to stand up to ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred and for days later while we did damage assessments, but which since toppled due to damaged roots and the wet, wet ground.

This has meant factoring in additional tree clearing as well as revisiting damage assessments, and it’s affecting our estimated timelines for around 200 customers around Currumbin Valley, including Tallai and Worongary, who were expecting their power to be back on tonight. We’ve been ringing these customers directly about this disappointing development and we’re exploring generation support for areas where network restoration has taken a hit from these late-falling trees.

Elsewhere, things are powering along and we’re on track to meet estimated restoration timelines: Energex Emergency Outages. Nearly 3500 customers have been restored throughout the day, and every single one of those gains has been hard-won: it’s pole-by-pole, line-by-line slog. Currently, 5000 properties are in the dark, with more set to hear the welcome beeps and whirrs from re-starting household appliances throughout the night.

The Gold Coast region remains the worst-affected by Alfred with 4700 customers awaiting reconnection; plus 155 properties in the Redlands, 113 at Tamborine Mountain, 100 across Brisbane, and small numbers in the Moreton Bay and Ipswich LGAs. We have teams rostered through the night where it’s safe to work, and it’s all systems go for the big final push tomorrow.

Nearly there, SEQ...no easing up until the power’s back for everyone.

GOOD TO KNOW

• If your place sustained electrical damage, you'll need to get an electrician to make repairs before we can reconnect you to the network. More on our website.
• If you're in the dark while your neighbours have power, there could be an individual fault which we might not know about it unless you tell us: 13 62 62
• How water not heating up once the power’s back on? Give us a call on 13 62 62.
• Report fallen powerlines to 13 19 62 or Triple Zero (000) if you’re in any doubt as to whether they’ve already been logged, and continue to stay well clear.

If yellow-and-grey uniforms aren’t your thing, you might want to avoid in/around Bonogin, Elanora, Springbrook, Tugun, Wongawallan, Tamborine Village and the mountain, Mudgeeraba, Tallai, Worongary, the Tallebudgera and Currumbin valleys. Robina, Cedar Creek, Mermaid Beach, Miami, Reedy Creek and Upper Coomera.

We’re continuing to wrap up repairs in Redland LGA, including Capalaba, Cleveland, Sheldon, Mt Cotton and Redland Bay, as well as remaining pockets of damage in Brisbane.

Again, the approach is:

1. Repair/rebuild the high-voltage spine of the network;
2. Work along the low-voltage lines;
3. Check individual service lines and points of attachments. It’s time-consuming, laborious, and also the only safe way to reconnect your power.

NO EXCUSE FOR ABUSE

A note to the tiny minority: To the people who fronted a crew stopped at traffic lights, who chased work vehicles screaming obscenities, who threw waste from a bucket at our traffic controllers, who courageously emailed under a fake name threatening to “stomp the skulls” of our people, who have abused the teams trying to help them the phones…no. Never, ever OK.

This sort of disgraceful behaviour disrupts restoration, jeopardising our people’s safety and actually compromising and slowing power restoration. There’s no place for this, and no excuse for abuse. If our crews feel that it’s unsafe to continue at any jobsite, they’re instructed to stand down for their safety and that of the public. We also will not hesitate to make assaults, or threats of violence, a police matter.

TALK TO US!

We’ll be dropping into Community Recovery Hubs right across Alfred’s impact zone, including today at Thornlands, Nerang, Upper Coomera, Beenleigh, Burleigh Waters and Miami. We’re keen to help with your questions.

YOUR POWER, YOUR SAFETY

• If your place sustained electrical damage, you'll need to get an electrician make repairs before we can reconnect you to the network.
• If you're in the dark while your neighbours have power there could be an individual fault which we might not know about it unless you tell us: 13 62 62
• How water not heating up once the power’s back on? Give us a call on 13 62 62.
• Report fallen powerlines to 13 19 62 or 000 (Triple Zero) if you’re in any doubt as to whether they’ve already been logged, and continue to stay well clear.

As part of the restoration process, our crews are doing door-to-door checks and, for the safety of occupants, will disconnect individual properties that have been inundated and leave an Electricity Defect Report (Form 3).

If you know there's likely damage, you don't need to wait for us to issue the defect report/Form 3

You can get your electrical contractor in ASAP to check, and remedy any electrical faults. If you take this proactive approach, ensure your electrical contractor follows these steps:

1. Completes a Certificate of Test (confirming repairs have been made & it's safe to reconnect)
2. Leaves the completed form on site
3. They call our Power outages line on 13 62 62 to let us know you're good to go.

If you receive an Electricity Defect Report (Form 3)

You'll need to engage an electrical contractor to rectify faults. Make sure the electrical contractor follows these steps:

1. Signs off on the contractor section of the form
2. Leaves the form on site
3. They call our Power outages line on 13 62 62
4. Without these steps, we won't know that you're safe to be reconnected.

Find a licenced electrical contractor online, or call Master Electricians Australia on 1300 889 198 or the National Electrical and Communications Association on 1300 361 099.

For those who have already had damage repaired and are awaiting reconnection, we’ll be there as soon we can. Every available reconnection team is on the job, working through the mountain of requests. Please bear with us.

Read more on getting reconnected after severe weather on our website.

There's no tougher slog than the final 5% of any disaster response, and we’re right in the thick of it now: the hardest terrain, the trickiest damage sites, the most complex work. Leeches, ticks, slick ground, high humidity, and snakes add an extra degree of difficulty, but our teams are soldiering on; repairing where they can, rebuilding where they must.

The realisation of the sheer enormity of this restoration hit home when updated data indicated that Alfred actually knocked out power to more than 500,000 Queenslanders. Our crews have now restored more than 97% of households, and we’re continuing to work around the clock for the remaining 11,100. It’s been a brutal week-plus for many, and that’s what keeps us laser-focussed on getting the lights back on, safely. Always safely.

We’re using generation to support areas where it’s viable to do so. Not every line is suitable – a lot depends on the extent and location of damage – but where we can, generators are doing a lot of heavy lifting. These are big units; around 50 gensets pushing out nearly 20 megawatts to neighbourhoods in every corner of Alfred's impact zone, and we’re constantly monitoring for opportunities to add generation to the restoration mix.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

• If you’re in the dark while your neighbours have power, there could be an individual fault which we might not know about it unless you tell us: 13 62 62
• If your hot water system’s not heating up once the power’s back on, give us a call on 13 62 62.
• Stay vigilant for fallen powerlines – report them to 13 19 62 or 000 (Triple Zero) if you’re in any doubt whether they’ve already been logged, and continue to stay well clear. It’s safest to throw out any water-damaged electrical appliances, and please don’t pile clean-up waste around power poles, stay wires, or green electrical pillars.

17,000, and counting (down).

It’s a week since Alfred started to really flex, and thousands Energex and Ergon Energy Network crews, from North West Queensland to the Tweed, have now put in millions of exhausting hours to get power back to more than 95% of customers affected by cyclonic winds and flooding. We’re beyond proud of what our teams have achieved for their community, and even prouder of their fierce, unrelenting focus on safely having power available to everyone by Sunday night.

Again, there are thousands of boots on the ground today, laboriously working through the worst of the damage on networks supplying customers in and around Tamborine Village and Mt Tamborine, Mudgeeraba, Palm Beach, Bathy Lakes, the Tallebudgera Valley, Burleigh Heads, Robina, Nerang, Cades County and Currumbin. Back towards Brisbane, we’re hard at work around Logan Village, Browns Plains, Mt Cotton, Coopers Plains, Cornubia, Capalaba and the Redlands (including the bay); and continuing major repairs on key feeders around Mt Gravatt, Newmarket and Samford Valley (including Mt Glorious and Mt Nebo).

The locations above are not exhaustive: we’re working for every single suburb and street that’s still without power. No one is forgotten, no one is left behind.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

• We love that people want to say g’day and get intel, but it distracts our teams, slows things down, and it's not safe to wander into our worksites. Give the crews a wave to say 'hi', follow our social media or check Outage Finder: Emergency Outages for updates.
• We hate to have to say this (again), but it's never OK to give our people, whether in the field or on the phones, a spray. We know you want your power back on, and every person here is doing their utmost to make this happen. An earful won't speed things up, but it does make a long tough day on restoration longer and tougher.
• Occasionally, the power goes off again soon after we’ve restored supply. This can happen when a customer subsequently reports a serious issue so we need to de-energise for everyone’s safety, or when undetected faults become apparent, requiring further investigation and repair. If it happens, we're on it.
• If you’re in the dark while your neighbours have power, there could be an individual fault which we mightn’t know about it unless you tell us: 13 62 62
• If your hot water system’s not heating up once the power’s back on, give us a bell on 13 62 62.
• Stay vigilant for fallen powerlines – report them to 13 19 62 or 000 (Triple Zero). if you’re in any doubt as to whether they’ve already been logged, and continue to stay well clear. It’s safest to throw out any water-damaged electrical appliances, and please don’t pile clean-up waste around power poles, stay wires, or green electrical pillars.

Cyclone Alfred may have smashed parts of SEQ, but our restoration teams are smashing it in their quest to have the lights back on to 20,000 more customers by the end of this weekend. Power has already been restored to more than 480,000 properties and our crews won’t take their foot off the pedal until the mission is accomplished.

We are entering some of the hardest yards in the hardest-hit areas, like Tallebudgera Valley, Currumbin Valley, Burleigh Heads, and Palm Beach. The worst damage demands a rebuild, not repairs.

In disaster response and recovery, there are always bright spots. Some of our veteran responders are tough cookies, but hand-drawn cards from grateful primary school students are enough to melt anyone’s heart (image below).

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

• See Outage Finder: Emergency Outages for estimated restoration times.
• Cold water? If your hot water system’s not heating up once power’s back on, give us a call on 13 62 62.
• If your place sustained electrical damage, you’ll need to get an electrician make repairs before we can reconnect you to the network. Once your electrician has ensured everything’s safe, they’ll sign off on the Electricity Defect Report, and we’ll get you reconnected ASAP.
• If your neighbours have power but you don't, call us on 13 62 62: we may not know about an individual premises outage unless you tell us.
• Fallen powerlines: Treat all as live and dangerous, stay at least 10m away, call us on 13 19 62 or 000, and warn others.
• Use generators safely.
• Drone operators: We have reported a couple of close calls with drones while doing aerial patrols. Please be aware of choppers and other aircraft.

In the past 24hrs, another 35,000 homes and businesses have been reconnected, with major gains in areas north and south off Brisbane and through the city. We’ve also seen big progress on the Bay islands, and strong inroads in the Moreton Bay and Logan council areas.

We’ve also been out en masse for days across the Gold Coast, hinterland and Scenic Rim, and what we’re seeing in areas such as the Tallebudgera Valley is sobering. “Repairing” the network there doesn’t begin to describe the severity of damage in some sections – it’ll essentially be network replacement.

Being able to get the heavy specialist machinery into some areas we previously couldn’t readily take our big rigs is making a difference; helping with debris removal, pole replacements and getting wires back up where they belong. Hundreds of staff are out on the night shift right now, and we’ll be back in the thousands again bright and early tomorrow.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

• Terrible news, kids: Power’s now available to all but two schools! *cue muffled cheers from thousands of parents*. Check with your local school for details of classrooms reopening.
• Cold water? If your hot water system’s not heating up once power’s back on, give us a call on 13 62 62.
• Check Outage Finder for estimated restoration times: Emergency Outages.
• If your place sustained electrical damage, you’ll need to get an electrician to make repairs before we can reconnect you to the network. Once your electrician has ensured everything’s safe, they’ll sign off on the Electricity Defect Report, and we’ll get you reconnected ASAP.
• If your neighbours have power but you don't, call us on 13 62 62: we may not know about an individual premises outage unless you tell us.
• Fallen powerlines: Treat all as potentially live and deadly, stay at least 10m away, call us on 13 19 62 or 000 (Triple Zero), and warn others.
• Use generators safely.

We’ll be back tomorrow with more updates on what’s happening with your power – thanks for bearing with us while we plough ahead on Queensland’s biggest ever power restoration from a natural disaster

It’s been another massive morning in the field: the power’s back to another 8000-plus customers. Check out the photo gallery for a bit of what we’ve been seeing and doing today.

To give you an idea of the scale of this restoration, we’ve patrolled about 9000 (yes, THOUSAND) kilometres of powerline, from the air and on the ground. That’s equivalent to a road trip to Perth and back, while also dealing with 1600 fallen powerlines, flash flooding, broken power poles, ticks, snakes, and roads blocked with debris. (Still, probably an improvement on a 9000km drive with a 4yo singing Baby Shark on repeat…but that’s just us.)

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

• See Outage Finder for estimated restoration times: Emergency Outages.
• If your place sustained electrical damage, you’ll need to get an electrician make repairs before we can reconnect you to the network. Once your electrician has ensured everything’s safe, they’ll sign off on the Electricity Defect Report, and we’ll get you reconnected ASAP.
• If your neighbours have power but you don't, call us on 13 62 62: we may not know about an individual premises outage unless you tell us.
• Fallen powerlines: Treat all as potentially live and deadly, stay at least 10m away, call us on 13 19 62 or 000, and warn others.
• Use generators safely.

• 15,000 customers have been restored since last night.
• 2265 of our PPE-clad finest are working in the field, on power restoration, right now.
• 58,500 is our ‘why’ – these are the homes and businesses we’re pulling out all the stops to get reconnected.
• 0 is the number we’re striving for: we won’t let up until power is available to every last customer.

We’re working on restoration on all the islands, on and around Tamborine, across the Gold Coast and hinterland, the Redlands, in the Scenic Rim, hard-hit communities in Logan LGA, Brisbane suburbs, the Samford Valley and surrounds, and in the Lockyer Valley. In other words…everywhere. Give our teams a wave if you see them, and let them do their thing.

Have a chat: We’re dropping into Community Recovery Hubs across SEQ to chat with customers and we have some roving community teams calling into hard-hit island communities where there’s no formal hub; including Straddie and, hopefully later today, Lamb Island.

Estimated restoration times are listed as ‘Est Fix Time’ in Outage Finder: Emergency Outages. These are estimates based on our damage assessments and what we find while we’re making repairs – that’s why they can be subject to changing, if we get some wins we didn’t expect or encounter additional serious problems which are going to take longer to fix.

If your property sustained electrical damage, you’ll need to get an electrician to make repairs before we can reconnect you to the network. This includes if the driving rain or floodwater got into your meter box. Once your electrician has checked and made safe, they’ll sign off on the Electricity Defect Report, and we’ll get you reconnected ASAP.

If your neighbours have power but you don't, call us on 13 62 62: we may not know about an individual premises outage unless you tell us.

Fallen powerlines: Please don’t get complacent: continue to treat any wire as potentially live and deadly and give them a wide berth. And if there’s any doubt whatsoever as to whether they’ve been reported, call us on 13 19 62.

Use generators safely: never indoors, never in wet conditions. More information on our website.

Disaster recovery is about people, not numbers, and we never lose sight of the families and businesses and retirees behind every premises. That’s why we’re quietly stoked tonight that power restoration is tracking well ahead of where we thought we’d be, back on to 85% of all homes that lost power courtesy of ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred.

And we’re working round the clock for the remaining 73,000 – it’s a daunting task, but we’re on to it. Today, several thousand of our troops repaired damage from the Peninsula to south Gold Coast and all points in between, getting the lights back on to nearly 50,000 properties since this morning.

We’re up coming up against the most complex damage, where power wins are eked out in metres rather than miles. On the other side of the ledger are our teams. Thanks to Queensland's notoriously wild summers, ours are the most experienced post-cyclone restoration troops in the country. They’re armed to the teeth with tech and tough kit that’s proven itself in the roughest terrain, and they’re backed by a mostly unseen support army.

These behind-the-scenes legends are talking to thousands of customers on the phones and at community hubs; keeping the network safe to work on; liaising with emergency services; ensuring that our exhausted field teams have something to eat and somewhere to sleep when they wrap up another big shift; and magicking everything from barges to snakebite kits seemingly out of thin air.

Every powerline that’s restrung represents the combined effort, expertise and dedication of hundreds of our people's expertise, tenacity and dedication. And we won't ease up until the lights are back on in every SEQ home.

YOUR POWER

• Estimated restoration times are now available for all customers; listed as ‘Est Fix Time’ in Outage Finder: Emergency Outages. We’re sorry about the tech gremlin that delayed this for some people.
• If your property sustained electrical damage, you’ll need to get an electrician make repairs before we can reconnect you to the network. This includes if the driving rain or floodwater got into your meter box. Once your electrical contractor has checked and made safe, they’ll sign off on the Electricity Defect Report, and we’ll get you reconnected ASAP. More information : Getting reconnected after severe weather.
• If your neighbours have power but you don't, call us on 13 62 62: we may not know about an individual premises outage unless you tell us.

YOUR SAFETY

• Fallen powerlines: Please don’t get complacent: continue to treat any wire as potentially live and deadly and give them a wide berth. And if there’s any doubt whatsoever as to whether they’ve been reported, call us on 13 19 62.
• Use generators safely: never indoors, never in wet conditions. More information on our website.

• Estimated restoration times were released late yesterday – they’re listed as ‘Est Fix Time’ in Outage Finder: Emergency Outages. We're aware of a few locations still showing as ‘Next Update’ and well as a handful of addresses not currently listed. This doesn’t mean we’ve forgotten you – it’s a technical glitch which we’re sorting ASAP.
• If your property sustained electrical damage, you’ll need to get an electrician make repairs before we can reconnect you to the network. This includes if the driving rain or floodwater got into your meter box. Once your sparkie has checked and made safe, they’ll sign off on the Electricity Defect Report, and we’ll get you reconnected ASAP.
• Have chat: We’ll be dropping into Community Recovery Hubs from the bay islands to the Gold Coast and we’re looking forward to chatting to locals at Mt Tamborine later today.
• If your neighbours have power but you don't, call us on 13 62 62: we may not know about an individual premises outage unless you tell us.
• Prepare for power to be restored: Unplug sensitive electrical appliances and make sure electric cooktops and ovens are turned off. And leave a couple of lights on - that way you'll know when you’ve been reconnected while safeguarding your appliances.
• No excuse for abuse: You want your power on. We want your power on. We’re throwing the kitchen sink at restoration, but a tiny percentage of the community has elected to lob throw abuse and threats at our teams and contractors. Whether it’s giving a serve to crews putting in long hours in the field or abusing our teams on the phone, it’s not OK. The shirt might say “Energex” or “Ergon Energy”, but there’s an actual human behind the logo, and every one of us is doing our best.
• Fallen powerlines: Please don’t get complacent: continue to treat any wire as potentially live and deadly and give them a wide berth. And if there’s any doubt whatsoever as to whether they’ve been reported, call us on 13 19 62.
• Use generators safely; never indoors, never in wet conditions. More information on our website.

We’ve finalised and released the restoration plan for customers affected by Tropical Cyclone Alfred and its aftermath, with all due to have supply reinstated by the end of the week.

See your estimated restoration time on Outage Finder: Emergency Outages.

Progress so far

Collectively, more than 450,000 premises from the Fraser Coast to the NSW border lost power due to the historic weather system; the greatest number of power outages in Queensland history caused by a natural disaster.

By lunchtime today (Monday), power had been restored to well over half of all these homes and businesses. Nearly 100,000 customers have been reconnected since last night.

What's next

We’re on track to have 75% of all cyclone-impacted premises back on by Wednesday night, 95% by Friday night, and the remaining customers in hardest-hit pockets by late Sunday. These are likely to include Tallebudgera Valley, Currumbin Valley and Springbrook, where there’s been major damage to the backbone of the network.

The job ahead is immense: it’s the equivalent of restoring power to a city the size of Bundaberg daily, over a massive damage area stretching 130km by 120km wide. Where possible, we’re also installing generation at critical sites, including schools and essential services, while grid supply is finalised.

Process and risks

Finalising estimates has been an extremely complex process due to the scale and severity of damage to the network; and the restoration plan is intended to provide customers with clarity to plan around the projected power outages. What we need now is some kinder weather: the best efforts of thousands of field staff and behind-the-scenes teams can be impacted by further storms or flooding.

Safety above all

• Safety - yours and ours - is at the heart of disaster recovery. While we're repairing and rebuilding the network, please:
• Watch for fallen powerlines, especially tangled in debris or in flood waters. Report anything you see ASAP to 13 19 62 or 000, stay at least 10m clear, and warn others. Treat any line as live and deadly.
• Use generators safely; never indoors, never in wet conditions. More information on our website.

We’ll be back tomorrow to share further updates on how the restoration is going, and to try and answer questions where possible. Until then, please stay safe.

Our Tropical Cyclone Alfred Restoration plan to reconnect power to Queenslanders has been released.

1. 75% reconnected by Wednesday night (12 March)
2. 95% by Friday night (14 March)
3. 100% by Sunday night (16 March)

We are committed to restoring electricity to customers impacted by Tropical Cyclone (TC) Alfred as soon as it is safe to do so, through its disaster response activities.

This restoration plan is subject to the ongoing weather event, and pending any further impacts of additional flooding, for example, what is being experienced in the Ipswich and Lockyer regions.

Visit Emergency Outages to see estimated restoration times.

Our restoration priorities throughout this event have been to progressively restore power to impacted communities in the following manner:

1. Public safety and access for emergency
2. Essential services e.g. hospitals, water, sewerage facilities;
3. Public facilities e.g. major shops, fuel, and community support infrastructure; and
4. Restore power to as many customers as possible within the shortest amount of time.

This sequence restores community access to food, health and other essential services as a priority.

We’re confident we speak for everyone when we say “Alfred, ENOUGH”. The low pressure system is continuing to serve up thunderstorms, heavy rain and strong gusting winds. Now, flooding is cutting road access and isolating communities, including around Logan, on the Gold Coast hinterland, and in the Scenic Rim. The Lockyer Valley is a major concern where fast-rising flooding is threatening Laidley, and we’re also closely watching water levels around Ipswich, Logan and Brisbane.

Despite worsening conditions, our teams working around the clock have restored power to another 31,000 customers since last night’s update, for an incredible 132,000 reinstated since Sunday morning’s peak. This morning, 215,000 homes and businesses were without power.

Right now, there are north of 2000 pairs of boots on the (very muddy) ground across SEQ wherever our troops and trucks can safely get access, and safely work. Our crews – many of whom are also without power – are being backed up by big Ergon Energy Network contingents from across the state and an army of support people. (Big shout-out to Team Ergon, who have been contending with flooding and significant ex-Alfred impacts from the Darling Downs to Hervey Bay while still supporting our communities; ditto our vegetation contractors, traffic controllers, emergency services and volunteers making a huge contribution).

We're hopeful of getting choppers patrols in the air if the weather eases, as well as landing crews and heavy equipment on the bay islands. Wherever we can safely get to, we're working.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

• Estimated restoration timeframes are being finalised. They’ll appear in Outage Finder as “Est Fix Time” instead of “Next Update”. Please, be patient – we don’t have this information yet; nor can we give individual updates on social media, and our teams on the phones have to prioritise reports of life-threatening faults. Check for outages: Energex (SEQ) - Emergency Outages and Ergon Energy Network - Outage Finder.
• Watch for fallen powerlines, especially tangled in debris or in flood waters. Report anything you see ASAP to Energex (SEQ) on 13 19 62 or Ergon Energy Network on 13 16 70, or 000 (Triple Zero). Stay at least 10m clear, and warn others. Treat any line as live and deadly.
• Use generators safely; never indoors, never in wet conditions. Read more on our website.

The aspect of power restoration you don’t see... Meet James and Jack (our first image). There’s been no power at their place for days, so James, his wife and three little ones, including the impossibly adorable 4wk old Jack, have been crashing with family while James puts in big hours on power restoration. Here’s he’s catching a quick moment with his baby boy after another long shift.

While it’s a relief to be making headway, we’re also acutely conscious that it continues to be a long, hard slog for 245,000 in our community, some of whom were hit in the first early waves of ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred: we’re stoked for those who are back on supply, but we’re not taking our eye off the ball. We have teams working around the clock, and tomorrow we’ll build on today’s gains – we just need the weather to work with us, and for flooding to hold off.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

• We can't give individual updates via social media or on the phones, where our teams have to prioritise taking reports of life-threatening faults. We understand people need to know what’s happening with their power: that degree of detail isn’t available just yet; and we can’t tell you what we don’t know. As soon as restoration estimates are confirmed, Outage Finder will be updated: Energex (SEQ) - Emergency Outages and Ergon Energy Network - Outage Finder.
• Watch for fallen powerlines, especially tangled in debris or in flood waters. Report anything you see ASAP to Energex (SEQ) on 13 19 62 or Ergon Energy Network on 13 16 70, or 000 (Triple Zero). Stay at least 10m clear, and warn others. Treat ANY powerline as though it’s live and deadly.
• Use generators safely; never indoors, never in wet conditions. More information is on our website.

How power is restored

From the outside, power restoration can be hard to follow, but there’s a well-honed process to it.  
Restoration relies on making sure the transmission and main distribution networks are up and running which enables us to resupply critical infrastructure like water treatments plants and hospitals. Then we look to get power to important community services so people can access food and fuel; then to safely restore the largest number of people as quickly as possible, after we’ve repaired damage to subs, lines and transformers.

Thorough damage assessments take time, but they’re a vital investment in safe, efficient power restoration. They give us a comprehensive understanding of exactly what repairs, equipment and resources are needed on each section of the network; meaning we make sure there’s tracked heavy machinery on site to restand poles in knee-deep mud, or traffic control organised so we can safely tackle repairs on a busy road.

And it’s about getting the most out of our crews’ skills and time: they want to roll up their sleeves, get the lights on, and go home safely to their families when the restoration's wrapped up. Damage assessments inform all of the meticulous logistics that sit behind every powerline that’s put back in the air; and every decision we make is designed to keep our people safe, our customers safe, and to get power back to the largest numbers of people in the shortest time.

Read more on our website.

Despite atrocious conditions, our teams have restrung lines, restood poles and replaced smashed crossarms and hardware on sections of the network across SEQ. At 2.50pm, 287,000 Energex customers were off supply, down from the 1am peak of 346,000.

Our Ergon Energy counterparts are making headway too, restoring power to more than half of the 25,000 Toowoomba area customers hit by severe post-Alfred storms this morning, as well as all but 1500 Fraser/Burnett properties where communities are dealing with flash flooding.

Our thanks to customers for your patience – this is such a tough time, especially for those who have been without power since Thursday.  We’re hearing a few rumbles that some people haven’t seen crews working their immediate area. Please know that we’ve forgotten nobody, and we’re throwing the kitchen sink at restoration, but the issue affecting a street could be many miles away upstream on the network. Power restoration is a trickle-down process: we need to do damage assessments to plan the best approach, then we repair the high voltage network and critical infrastructure before moving onto the street-level low voltage network – there’s no point in fixing a pole at the end of a feeder if the high-voltage network supplying it is in on the ground. It takes time - there are no shortcuts when it comes to electricity, and it’s got to be done safely; for your families and for ours.

Last night's huge Round 2 from the last of ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred put a dent in our damage assessments and restoration planning, and today's terrible weather hasn't helped, but we're working on having accurate timeframes for people without power still - the minute these are available, you'll hear about them & they'll be shared to Outage Finder: Energex (SEQ) - Emergency Outages and Ergon Energy Network - Outage Finder.

ABC Radio 612 offline

The 612AM transmitter for ABC Radio Brisbane is offline due to ongoing power issues at its Bald Hills broadcast site. To continue hearing critical emergency updates, ABC advises that it’s still accessible on 106.1FM in Brisbane, or via ABC Radio Brisbane on DAB or the ABC Listen app.

IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION

• Watch for fallen powerlines: report them to Energex (SEQ) on 13 19 62 or Ergon Energy Network 13 16 70, or 000 (Triple Zero). Stay at least 10m clear, and warn others. Treat ANY powerline as though it’s live and deadly.
• Use generators safely, and never, ever indoors. More information on our website.
• Don't pile debris around poles or pillars if you’re cleaning up. We need to be able to see and access all electrical infrastructure for damage assessments and repairs.

At 7.30pm, 256,000 properties were without power, with the remnants of Alfred beginning to belt areas north of Brisbane as the low pressure system finally crosses onto the mainland.

Today’s big focus was on making the sites of more than 1000 fallen wires safe, as well as damage assessments and clearing debris. We’re working round the clock, doing repairs where we can and logging issues needing repair, and we'll be out in even bigger numbers tomorrow. Again, we’ll be restoring power where it’s safe to do so as well as completing the all-important damage assessments that shape and guide restoration.

Power restoration is a trickle-down process: we need to repair the high voltage network and critical infrastructure first, before moving onto the street-level low voltage network – there’s no point in fixing a pole at the end of a feeder if the high-voltage network supplying it is in on the ground. It takes time - there are no shortcuts when it comes to electricity, and we’ll never put our people or our community at risk.

NO EXCUSE FOR ABUSE

It’s been a rough few days for the community – including many of our own staff who still don’t have power – but that’s no excuse for threatening our teams or giving them an earful.

Every single one of our people in the field, on the phones, or behind the scenes have been putting in enormous effort preparing for Alfred, and we’re leaving nothing in the tank to safely restore power. Abusing our staff, traffic controllers, emergency service teams or volunteers won’t get the lights back on any faster. (For the record, 99.999% of customers have been amazing – we appreciate you).

TODAY'S TOP QUESTIONS

How come I lost power after Alfred?
Sometimes our patrols spot a serious issue which hasn't quite cut power yet, but it’s about to in an uncontrolled way (for eg, a tree about to come down on lines) which forces us to interrupt supply to safely manage the risk. Then, when we get to the restoration phase, we sometimes have to isolate power on sections of the network so our troops can work safely. We get that it's frustrating for customers, but it's essential for everyone's safety.

Not much of a storm at my place - why don't I have power?
Some neighbourhoods look deceptively unaffected, and it’s understandable for people there to wonder why they don’t have power. Usually, it’s because the network supplying them has been damaged upstream, and this problem could be miles away from the streets without power.

When will I know when my power will  be restored?
Comprehensive damage assessments help us identify the most efficient, effective approach to safely restoring power to critical infrastructure and to the biggest numbers of people. Then we’ll be able to upload accurate restoration estimates into Outage Finder and we’ll let everyone know they’re available. Being without power is tough – we know this, and we’re doing everything we possibly can.

IMPORTANT SAFEY INFORMATION

• Watch for fallen powerlines: report them to 13 19 62 or 000, stay at least 10m clear, and warn others. Treat ANY powerline as though it’s live and deadly.
• Don't pile debris around poles or pillars if you’re cleaning up. We need to be able to see and access all electrical infrastructure for damage assessments and repairs.
• Use generators safely, and never, ever indoors. More information on our website.

With damage assessments underway in areas where we can get access, we’re getting a picture of what Alfred’s done…and it’s not pretty.

So far, we’ve clocked more than 1000 wires down, and debris and massive trees in powerlines that have cut power to more than 295,000 customers. We’re assessing damage from the ground and air, and we’re ferrying crews to island communities courtesy of the QPS barge.

We know you need clarity about when the power will be back on, and we’re doing all we can to provide this; however we’re looking at extensive damage over a very large area; from Brisbane’s northside to the Gold Coast hinterland. It’s going to take time to build this picture – please bear with us. As soon as we have restoration estimates, we’ll let everyone know.

HOW CAN YOU HELP

• Watch for fallen powerlines, especially tangled up in cyclone debris. Report anything you see ASAP to 13 19 62 or 000, stay at least 10m clear, and warn others. Treat ANY powerline as though it’s live and deadly. And please don’t drive over them.
• Let our teams focus on the job. We love that people want to have a chat, but our crews need to be concentrating on damage assessment and making sites safe. Also, worksites with vehicles, debris and downed wires are not safe places to be.
• Bear with us: We simply won’t have estimated timeframes until comprehensive damage assessment has been completed, and we aren’t able to give updates on individual streets or premises via social media: this information simply isn’t available yet.
• Don't pile debris around poles or pillars if you’re cleaning up. We need to be able to see and access all electrical infrastructure for damage assessments and repairs.
• Use generators safely, and never, ever indoors. More information on our website.

Current outages

• SEQ is feeling the effects of TC Alfred’s damaging winds with more than 41,000 customers without supply with the worst affected areas being the Gold Coast, Redland City and Scenic Rim.
• The majority of this is being caused by debris into electrical infrastructure.
• Current outage information: Energex Emergency Outages

Our response

• For the safety of our crews we are gradually suspending business-as-usual and restoration work across SEQ as the weather deteriorates and becomes unsafe for our teams to respond. We have already had to suspended Gold Coast and Southern Moreton Bay Island responses until after the cyclone passes.

Plan for prolonged outages

• We continue to urge the community to plan for power outages lasting a week or more. While we hope this doesn’t happen, we must be ready for serious damage to the power network and/or homes.

Today’s preparation tips:

• If you rely on powered medical equipment, have your Plan B ready to be without power supply for an extended period.
• Don’t use candles for lighting. They’re a serious fire hazard!
• Battery-powered and/or rechargeable lighting/torches should have plenty of spare batteries and/or should be fully charged now.
• Ensure all battery packs (for mobiles), PCs and communication equipment are charged.
• Fill any empty soft drink bottles with water, place them in the freezer and use them for ice in an esky to keep food cool and to drink later.

Safety tips:

• If any appliances become saturated do not use them. Either have them inspected by a licensed electrician or throw them out. Lift electrical equipment to high areas in the home if you’re in a flood zone.
• Trees and other debris can bring down powerlines and these can be hidden in floodwaters. Report them immediately to 13 19 62 or 000 (Triple Zero). Stay AT LEAST 10 metres away, and warn others.
• After the storm passes, take care before heading outside. Check through your windows for any signs off fallen powerlines across your house, carport or driveway. If you do see any, do not step outside, do not touch taps, metal fixtures or switches in your home. Call us immediately to report on 13 19 62.
• Water and electricity don’t mix. Here are some more flood and electrical safety tips: Keeping safe in severe weather.
• If you have a generator, use it safely.

Please, be safe, everyone.

The latest intel suggests Alfred will make landfall near Brisbane Friday afternoon or evening. As the winds pick up more today, we’ll start seeing impacts on the electricity network. We’ll respond as long as it’s safe and feasible to do so, but we won’t put our teams at risk. We’ll prioritise making dangerous situations safe, however we won’t be able to restore power while the storm is raging.

Outages that occur as the storm hits will appear in our Outage Finder, but we won’t be able to provide accurate restoration estimates until conditions ease and it’s possible to start damage assessments.

Your Thursday sorted

One upside of Alfred’s slightly later-than-arrival is that SEQ has a little bit of extra time before landfall. You could use this bonus time to doom-scroll or source an ungodly quantity of loo paper…or you could be the most disaster-ready household in the neighbourhood. Our suggestions:

• Save 13 19 62 in your phone – this is our emergency line for reporting fallen powerlines
• Talk to everyone in your household about the dangers of fallen powerlines: be super-vigilant for them after the cyclone, especially when leaving your home or cleaning up. Report anything you see ASAP to 13 19 62 or 000, stay well clear, and warn others.
• Tie down or put away anything that can get airborne. If in doubt, secure it.
• Finalise your emergency kit.
• Brush up on generator safety.

And finally: #fakenews alert

We’ve seen rumours that “someone’s (unnamed) neighbour” who is allegedly “high up in Energex” has advised that the power’s getting switched off ahead of Alfred. This is 100% rubbish.

It’s from a hoax text that was shared through chat groups and community pages; creating unnecessary extra anxiety for communities already bracing for a natural disaster. We do everything we possibly can to maintain everyone’s supply, and we don’t have plans to turn off the power. To protect our customers, our teams, and the safety of the electricity network, we sometimes need de-energise at very short notice, but it’s never a step we take lightly and we keep any impacts as localised as possible.

Heard a wild rumour about power? Check with us first, get the full story, and be the hero of your chat group. Read the latest on scams on our website.

The community can always head to Energex’s Facebook page or trusted news sources for correct information. Read the latest on scams on our website.

Our crews

We have more than 1,000 staff ready to hit the ground and repair cyclone damage and hundreds more Ergon staff and equipment staged and ready to make their way to south east Queensland once the threat passes. Energex crews are still attending to everyday outages, but this will cease and our staff will take cover when it becomes too dangerous to be out there.

Once the cyclone passes, crews will begin making network damage safe, assess the damage to determine what staff and equipment is required and then begin making repairs. This is a methodical process and at times can be time-consuming to ensure the safety of the community and our staff.

All planned maintenance work has been postponed.

Current outages

• Current outages can always been found by visiting Outage Finder. This is updated approximately every 15 minutes.

Solar

• Switch solar off to prevent damaged solar systems feeding energy back into a damaged house or the street network.
• Turn off the system at the meter box and then turn off the inverter that’s usually on the wall of your home or in your garage. Your inverter will generally have instructions on the shutdown process.
• More information is on our website.

Generator safety

• Plenty of generators have been sold in the past week to people who have never owned one before.
• Only use a generator in a well-ventilated area and never indoors to prevent carbon monoxide poisoning.
• Unless you’ve had a licensed electrician install a special changeover switch in your property, never plug it directly into your house because it can feed electricity back into fallen powerlines/cables in the street and create an electrocution hazard for the community and our crews.
• Only use safe and undamaged extension cords plugged into your generator and treat generated power with the same safety respect of power within your home.
• More information is on our website.

Our depots in Alfred’s firing line are secured, we’ve stocked up on essential components and equipment, and our trucks and tracked gear and drones and excavators are in position. We’re ready.

And on the home front, our employees are battening down the hatches, too: shutting down their rooftop solar, securing anything that can get airborne, and making sure they have the right emergency supplies for the next few days. They’re ready.

One of the great strengths of our business is that we all live and work in the communities we serve, so we know first-hand how stressful Alfred is, and we’re laser-focussed on getting through it safely and getting power back on to our streets and neighbourhoods.

What to expect

As winds start picking up in earnest tomorrow, we can expect to see impacts on the electricity network. Where possible, we’ll respond, but as conditions progressively deteriorate, we will need to stand our crews down for their own safety.  This is when a cyclone becomes a waiting game. Unlike the sharp, savage summer storms we’re used to in SEQ, Alfred will make its presence felt for many, many hours, with sustained dangerous winds, followed by heavy rain.

Our crews can’t begin damage assessments until the winds have eased, and even then, movements may be hampered by debris on roads and flash flooding. Once we’ve been able to get out and about, we need to make the network safe and build a picture of the job in front of us before we can start restoring power.

That’s the long version.

The short version? Cyclones aren’t like our regular summer storms: They take their time, they tend to trash a much bigger area, and cleaning up the mess they leave behind takes longer. It’s looking like some tough days ahead for a lot of people - we’ll do our best to share the latest, most accurate info with you, and we’ll be there every step of the way.

MYTHBUSTING

I heard you're turning everyone's power off at  *insert time here*
No. This is an incredibly unhelpful – and untrue – rumour which appears to have originated from a hoax text. We do everything we possibly can to maintain everyone’s supply, and we don’t have plans to turn off the power. Our priority is always to protect the community, our teams, and the security of the electricity network. This sometimes forces us to de-energise for safety at very short notice, for instance if there’s significant damage that’s a danger to the public, or if electrical assets are at risk of inundation; but it’s never a step we take lightly.

TODAY'S TOP QUESTIONS

If the cyclone knocks my power out, when will it be back on?
We won’t know until we can do damage assessments, and this is going to take time. As we receive intel from our crews about estimates restoration timelines, we’ll update Outage Finder.

Should I shut down my rooftop solar?
In a nutshell, yes. Read our earlier post for how, and why, as well as the answers to literally hundreds of questions about solar shutdowns.

What about the planned work scheduled for my street?
Regular planned maintenance work is on hold for the time being. When we can reschedule work, we’ll post out notifications with new dates and times.

What if I spot fallen powerlines?
Report them immediately to 13 19 62 or 000 (Triple Zero), stay at least 10m clear, and warn other people to steer clear. We’ll have a crew there as soon as we can. Never assume someone else has notified us about wires down – we’d rather have 20 reports than none.  And always call us about these life-threatening situations.

Every system will have slightly different steps, so consult your manual or the installer’s shutdown procedures, which can usually be found at the inverter and/or on the main switchboard.  However, as a guide, most will advise to turn off the inverter AC mains isolator, which is usually found in the meter box: it’s very important to turn the AC mains isolator off first, and then also to turn off the photovoltaic (PV) array DC isolator which is usually found next to the inverter.

• Even if the network is not operational and panels aren't supplying the home, solar systems can continue to generate direct current (DC) power…and this can be dangerous
• NEVER climb onto the roof to check or touch the solar system or its components – if there’s any damage, the roof can be live
• Treat all solar panels and cables as though they’re live and dangerous
• Never touch inverters, switchboards or other electrical equipment if it’s wet, or if you’re standing in water.

More great information is on our website: Solar power & battery storage safety

We’ve been preparing since last week; marshalling our teams, checking our spares and supplies, lining up equipment, and ensuring we’re ready for every eventuality. There’s still a narrow window of time for SEQ households to get ready:

• Put together an emergency kit with all the things you might need for days without power. Here’s a handy checklist.
• Tie down or put away anything that can get airborne. Even a basic camping chair becomes dangerous to property, and our power network, in 120km/hr winds
• Life Support customers need to sort out their Plan B now. We can’t provide generators or batteries to individual households – please think about your options in the case of power outages.
• Watch for fallen powerlines – NEVER assume they’re anything other than live and dangerous, report them immediately to 13 19 62 (Energex) or 000 (Triple Zero). Stay well clear and warn others.
• If you have a generator, use it safely.

Please, be safe, everyone.

Don’t be fooled by the blue skies and sunshine – Cyclone Alfred is a major threat to southern Queensland, and we all need to be ready. The already-wet ground and gusty winds are already toppling trees, and this will ramp up.

• Treat ANY fallen powerline or network damage as dangerous – report it ASAP to 13 19 62 (Energex) or 13 16 70 (Ergon Energy Network), or 000 (Triple Zero). Stay well clear, and warn others to stay away too.
• Secure anything around your that can possibly get airborne – now’s the time to be tying down and storing away; not in the middle of the night in howling winds.
• Be prepared for the possibility of days without power – finalise your home’s emergency kit today.
• People who rely on electrically powered medical equipment need to consider their Plan B, if their power is out. Read more on our Life Support Customers web page.
• Check on your local council’s disaster preparation advice and follow directions from emergency authorities.

We're ready for Tropical Cyclone Alfred, whatever the next few days bring. We can’t put the brakes on severe weather, but together, we can all get through this in one piece.

Please, SEQ - be safe, and be ready.

Severe weather can cause prolonged power outages...what's your Plan B?

• Do you have access to a generator?
• Who can you stay with?
• Do you have contact details for your local hospital?

No electricity network can guarantee uninterrupted power supply 24/7/365, and the past few years’ horror run of storms, cyclones, fire and flooding highlighted that many people reliant on electrical medical equipment weren't prepared for emergencies.

Our Life Support program helps people plan for when the power's out. However, the program does NOT mean customers can be provided with personal generators, or that there can be priority restoration of individual premises.

Please…think about what arrangements you may need to make for your household's safety and wellbeing. Now.

If you don't have a storm kit ready, you should!

Our checklist helps make sure you tick all the boxes for being prepared for Tropical Cyclone Alfred.

Download and print the Storm kit checklist (PDF 497.4 kb).

It's important to prepare for a cyclone by cleaning up around your yard.

This includes putting away or securing any outdoor items that might become airborne in high winds and hit powerlines.

You won't believe what our crews find after storms  - everything from banana lounges to  trampolines!

• Watch for fallen powerlines: report any wires down or network damage ASAP to 13 19 62 (Energex) or 13 16 70 (Ergon Energy Network), or 000 (Triple Zero). Stay well clear, and warn others
• Consider what your household might need for an extended period without power - put your emergency kit together
• If you rely on electric medical equipment or temperature-controlled medication, you need a Plan B; whether that’s a generator, identifying people you can stay with, or checking with your local hospital
• Read more advice from Get Ready Queensland.

Our crews are getting ready for the severe weather that’s heading towards the South East Queensland coast.

Tropical Cyclone Alfred is expected to make landfall later this week.

We are monitoring Tropical Cyclone Alfred's movements as it travels south along the Queensland coast which is expected to produce damaging winds and heavy rainfall between Bundaberg and the Gold Coast.

Please follow the advice of emergency services. If you’re in the weather watch zone, please be prepared for prolonged outages.