SYDNEY, Dec 24 (NNN-AAP) – Thousands of residents in Australia’s eastern state of Queensland were without power today, after wild storms lashed the region, local newspaper, The Courier-Mail, reported.
A total of 120 powerlines were reported down, and 57,000 customers were without power, according to a spokesman of Energex, an electricity company owned by the Queensland government, distributing power to 1.5 million homes and businesses, in the south-eastern part of the state.
Homes across Logan and parts of Brisbane could be without power on Christmas Day, until at least midday, with authorities warning residents to think of a back-up plan, the newspaper reported.
The Energex spokesman encouraged residents across the region to plan for the worst, to ensure Christmas festivities run smoothly tomorrow, such as considering generator use, to keep refrigerators running.
The Australian ABC News broadcaster reported yesterday that, violent thunderstorms would likely hit eastern Australia during Christmas period, due to an unusual weather pattern.
The spell of explosive thunderstorms would occur because polar air escaping from Antarctica was expected to drift directly over the country’s south-east states from Christmas Eve to Boxing Day, or from today to Tuesday, the report said.– NNN-AAP
