Ergon’s acting Chief Operating Officer Jeff Green said it had been a marathon team effort in the countdown to Christmas.

“We were on track to have power safely restored to everyone impacted by the cyclone in under a week when the flood emergency began and forced us to revise our restoration targets.

“Our Ergon and Energex teams from across Queensland have worked together in extremely challenging conditions in some devastated communities to ensure the power network is up and running or mobile generation support is available for Christmas.

“The response from those communities and customers has been so uplifting for our crews who are supporting them on the road to recovery.

“We’ve seen children cheering our crews as the convoy left the Cairns Showgrounds, deliveries of home-baked goods and messages of support from people who were grateful to have their power back on – these gestures are humbling for our crews and a reminder of the impact of their work, especially after a natural disaster,” Mr Green said.Ergon and Energex crews will continue to support the recovery and reconstruction effort.

In areas where major flooding and landslides have altered the landscape and caused catastrophic damage to infrastructure, including poles and wires, the electricity network will need to be redesigned and rebuilt.

“We will be supporting those communities with generation while we work with local authorities to assess how we can build back better or provide alternative energy solutions, like standalone power systems, which we have successfully trialled at the fringe of the grid,” Mr Green said.

Any homes or businesses that were damaged in the cyclone or floods will need to be inspected by a licenced electrical contractor before they can be safely reconnected to Ergon’s electricity network.

“Sadly, we’ve had reports of scammers posing as licenced electrical contractors in the flood and cyclone zone, so always check their credentials and you can seek advice from the Master Electricians Australia (MEA) on 1300 889 198 or the National Electrical and Communications Association on 1300 361 099,” Mr Green said.

“On behalf of Ergon, I’d like to thank all our partners in this disaster response, including emergency services, SES volunteers, disaster management groups, Councils, contractors and community organisations. It is always a team effort and we appreciate your support to get our customers and communities back on their feet.”