SEVERE and sustained weather across the south of the state could potentially remain ongoing through the weekend, which may impact AusNet's power network. The Alpine region experienced winds of up to 90km/h on Thursday and could reach as high as 130km/h. Seymour, Wallan, Rubicon, Mansfield, Lilydale, Beaconsfield, Leongatha, Warragul, Sale and Traralgon may experience winds of up to 100km/h. An AusNet spokesperson said they have additional field crews available and can call on more resources if needed, but restoration times may be longer than expected depending on the severity of network damage. According to AusNet’s outage tracker, thousands of homes were left without power in the wake of Sunday night's storms which swept through the North East. Wind gusts of up to 65km/h hit the Bureau of Meteorology’s Wangaratta Airport recording station overnight as storms entered region from around 6pm. A total of 17.8mm was recorded from 6pm to 6:30pm with 20.2mm of rain falling in total. A total of 1138 homes were still without power on Monday morning, with properties in Gapsted, Bowmans Forest, Beechworth, Stanley and Murmungee affected. Emergency crews were kept busy responding to fallen trees across the region. The busiest of the SES Hume region crews were the Wangaratta unit who had 25 requests for assistance, with the Great Alpine Road, Eldorado Road and Warby Range Road being the hardest hit areas. Customers can be kept up to date about power restoration assessment and restoration times via AusNet’s Outage Tracker: https://www.outagetracker.com.au/. Monitor weather warnings, forecasts and river levels at the Bureau of Meteorology website, and warnings through VicEmergency website/app/hotline.
