Qld: Power restored to most Sunshine Coast homes after storms

AAP General News (Australia)
12-18-2006
Qld: Power restored to most Sunshine Coast homes after storms

BRISBANE, Dec 18 AAP - Emergency crews have restored power to most homes on the Sunshine
Coast after a storm with winds up to 196 km/h lashed the region on Saturday night.

Electricity provider Energex said today power had been returned to another 1,800 homes
and businesses, and more than 200 staff were working to restore power to less than 1,000
customers still without electricity.

A spokesman said the work involved rebuilding around 1km of power network around Lake
McDonald and Cooroy, as well as identifying and repairing other underlying network problems.

Heavy rain and wind gusts on Saturday brought down trees and power lines, damaged buildings
and ripped roofs from homes on the Sunshine Coast, at Toogoolawah and Esk, west of Brisbane,
and at Tiaro, north of Brisbane.

"Information from the Bureau of Meteorology shows that Saturday night's storms included
one cell that packed winds of up to 196km/h as it crossed Double Island Point," the spokesman
said.

Access to damaged power infrastructure had been hampered by fallen trees and other
debris, he said.

The power outage meant pumps at the Cooroy water treatment facility shut down, sparking
fears that the Noosa region would run out of water.

But generators were used to power the plant and other critical infrastructure in the region.

The Energex spokesman said the power supply to the water treatment and pumping station
had been restored, but the generators would remain on site as backup.

AAP rm/wjf/jlw

KEYWORD: STORM QLD 2ND DAYLEAD

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