Continuing high winds impacting power network

The Hills/Dandenongs were hit by strong damaging winds on Tuesday night (SUPPLIED)

AusNet is on its way making progress in restoring power outages caused by windy weather, which has impacted people in the central and eastern parts of Victoria.

More than 10,000 AusNet customers were without power as a result of 78 individual faults at the peak on Tuesday night, most power were restored by 6pm yesterday.

The wind continued to impact the network with new faults occurring yesterday morning and early afternoon.

The majority of outages are being caused by trees, branches and debris hitting powerlines, there are currently over 9000 people without power.

Yesterday, 400 people from AusNet were on the ground responding to incidents.

Emergency Management Mobile Assistance (EMMA) vehicle and community engagement teams were deployed on Wednesday morning to Monbulk, Belgrave, Emerald, Cockatoo, Gembrook, Hoddles Creek, Launching Place, and Woori Yallock.

In a press release, AusNet said it will continue to assess the need for mobile generation in key areas.

AusNet is encouraging its customers to check the Outage Tracker for updated assessment and restoration times – updates will also be included on their Facebook page.

Here are some power prepared tips:

· Life support customers, please be ready to activate your emergency plan. Call AusNet priority line anytime on 1800 818 832

· Have battery operated torches and radios in a place easy to access – keep spare batteries handy too

· Charge your battery packs so they’re ready to power your mobile phones

· Keep some cash on hand in case electronic payment systems go down during an outage

· Make sure you can open your garage or fence manually so you can leave your home if the power goes out

· If you have an electric water pump, stock up on bottled water

· Report new faults and emergencies online www.ausnetservices.com.au/outages/report-a-fault or on 13 17 99

· If you’re in immediate danger, call 000. For emergency services, call the SES on 13 25 00

· Stay safe. Keep away from any fallen or damaged powerlines and assume any wires are live

· See more tips at https://www.ausnetservices.com.au/outages.