A violent thunderstorm accompanied by hail has left thousands of residents in Port Pirie, South Australia without electricity after roofs were damaged and trees and powerlines brought down.
The State Emergency Services (SES) reported receiving 170 calls for assistance in just 12 hours following the storm, which struck after 8pm on Saturday night with wind gusts reaching 119 kilometres per hour.
According to SA Power Networks, the short but intense storm cell caused widespread destruction, toppling up to 50 power lines in and around the town. External affairs manager Cecilia Schutz warned that outages could last well beyond Sunday due to the scale of damage and difficulties accessing affected sites.
Local residents described harrowing scenes inside their homes. Angela Lewis recounted how her ceiling nearly collapsed as water poured through light fittings after the power went out. “My hubby went out with a torch because all the power went out and he could hear water running … and it was coming through the ceiling all round the light fittings,” she said.
Authorities continue to work on restoring services, but the extent of the damage means many households face prolonged disruption.
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