Galeforce winds have wreaked havoc across the Hawkesbury region, leaving thousands of homes without power. Endeavour Energy reported that around 45,000 properties experienced outages throughout the day, with the peak affecting 39,000 properties simultaneously. Customers can expect long delays with power not expected to be reconnected to some areas until 6pm tomorrow.

An Endeavour Energy spokesperson confirmed that the Hawkesbury was among the hardest-hit areas, with approximately 2,500 properties still without power as of late evening. Key affected areas include Kurrajong (670 properties), South Windsor (520), Wisemans Ferry (700), Lower Portland (300), and St Albans (150).

“Our crews have been working tirelessly since the winds began at 9:30 am,” the spokesperson said. “The peak of the storm was between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m., and we've had teams in the field all day and night, aiming to restore power as quickly as possible.”

The restoration process has been slowed by a total fire ban in place across New South Wales, which required Endeavour Energy to disable automated switching technology to prevent potential bushfires. Instead, crews have been conducting manual inspections of the network to ensure that power lines can be safely re-energised without sparking fires.

“We understand the inconvenience this causes, especially for those with elderly family members or young children,” the spokesperson added. “However, safety is our top priority. With winds reaching 100 kilometers per hour across our network, it's a massive undertaking to restore power under these conditions.”

Endeavour Energy anticipates that some residents will remain without power overnight, but crews will continue working through the night to minimise the impact. However some residents may not get power back until 6pm tomorrow. The fire ban is expected to be lifted tomorrow, which should allow for a quicker restoration process.

The spokesperson also noted that the high number of trees brought down by the winds has added to the challenges faced by crews. In addition to restoring power, all planned outages were cancelled to focus on emergency response efforts.

Endeavour Energy has urged residents to be patient as they work to restore power across the region and advised that they will provide updates as more information becomes available.

To check how long before power will be restored in your area, go to

www.endeavourenergy.com.au/outage