Last Wednesday’s electrical storm saw power cut to thousands of homes across the Myall Coast and surrounding areas.

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The NBN and mobile phone networks followed with the rolling blackouts and telecommunications outages continuing into early this week.

As essential workers braved the conditions to restore connections, businesses without access to EFTPOS returned to posting “Cash Only” signs.

“Over 3300 Essential Energy customers across the regions of Myall Lakes, Dungog and Bulahdelah experienced unplanned power outages following the ferocious storms that swept through the area on 15 and 16 January,” an Essential Energy spokesperson told News Of The Area.

“Safety equipment was [activated] following faults being detected on the electricity network, keeping customers safe until crews could investigate.

“Crews worked into the evening, making safe and repairing damage where possible.”

Many of the 5G small-cell transponders draw their power directly from mains, while larger installations are meant to have an uninterrupted power supply (UPS) as back-up.

However, they could not withstand the power of the storms.

“Our network sites have back-up power systems, which kept services running for as long as they could,” a Telstra spokesperson told NOTA.

“We have teams on the ground who will continue to work… to access affected sites.

The NBN has some in-built power resiliency but cannot guarantee connection during a blackout.

“NBN Co is working closely with power networks to restore services to communities impacted by outages as quickly as it is safe to do so,” an NBNCo spokesperson told NOTA.

“If your service is [still] down and no outages are reported in your area, we recommend restarting your in-home NBN equipment, including the connection box and Wi-Fi router.

“Should your services still be unavailable, please reach out to your internet provider for further assistance.

“Our top priority is to restore connectivity for those who are still affected due to damage to NBN infrastructure.

Meanwhile, roads around the region have suffered from flooding, with potholes reappearing in previously patched-up sections of the Myall Way.

In the event of more storms, Essential Energy reminds everyone to stay at least eight metres away from fallen powerlines or damaged electricity infrastructure and to call 13 20 80, or if life-threatening Triple Zero (000).

More information on storm safety is available at essentialenergy.com.au/storms.

By Thomas O’KEEFE