Power cut shuts down town

By Tania Martin
HILLS people were left in the dark last week when storms brought down numerous trees on powerlines.
It all started on Wednesday, 27 June, when strong winds and rain caused blackouts across the hills.
For two days businesses and residents living in the hills had to sit and wait while the power supply was restored.
On Thursday the power supply didn’t get much better for residents and businesses and many closed their doors for the day.
In Monbulk many businesses closed including the Sherbrooke Bakery, which lost more than a day and a half of trading.
Owner Jason Earr said it was disappointing that the bakery had to close but with no power it was not possible to do any baking.
Monbulk College called school off for the day when principal Pam Glover arrived at school shortly after 7am to find there was no power.
Ms Glover said after calling SP-AusNet and finding out there was no indication of when the power would be restored, she made the decision to close the school for the day.
“We decided at 8.15am that with no heating, lighting or computers, it was better for students to stay home where it was warm,” she said.
Ms Glover said the staff then started ringing everyone they could to warn them that there would be no school that day.
“When the buses arrived we had teachers go onto the bus to tell the students that there was no school,” she said.
Ms Glover said closing the school for the day was the only sensible option.
Alice Thorpe of SP-AusNet said the storm on Wednesday caused power outages by bringing down trees on powerlines, especially in the heavily wooded areas of the hills.
Ms Thorpe said safety was the top priority for SP-AusNet when restoring the power and that road closures and access issues made it difficult for crews to get into the area.
But she said after crews were able to gain access, they were able to restore power for the majority of people in the hills.
Ms Thorpe said the areas that were affected the most by the storm were Mt Dandenong, Clairmont, Kalorama, Sassafras and Monbulk.
She said in Kalorama nine homes were affected when a massive tree fell down and crews had to engage a special tree removal crew to carry out major works to make the area safe.
Power supply to Monbulk and many surrounding areas was restored shortly after 2pm on Thursday, bringing welcome news to many hills people.
Ms Thorpe said that SP-AusNet was grateful for the understanding that people showed during the blackouts.
“We understand that this has been a frustrating time for all and we greatly appreciate residents’ patience and understanding,” she said.