Thiess Services crews have been mobilised to assist Ergon Energy restore power to Central Queensland properties damaged by Tropical Cyclone Ului over the weekend.

Thiess Services crews based in Gladstone and our Commercial Contracting crews from Townsville have been committed into the response by our client, Ergon Energy to restore services to more than 30,000 homes and businesses from Sarina up to the Whitsundays.

A team of 30 supervisors, electrical linesman and trades assistants have been marshalled in Mackay and will be dispatched throughout the region by Ergon coordinators to repair damaged network infrastructure and reconnect fallen powerlines in residential and rural areas. Much of the damage to the electrical network around Mackay has been caused by falling trees bringing down powerlines and damaging connections to homes and businesses.

Priority is being given to restoring power to essential facilities and services and critical community infrastructure such as hospitals, police, ambulance, fire brigade, water treatment facilities and pumping stations, followed by major commercial customers such as shopping centres and then residential customers.

Cyclone Ului crossed the coast as a category three system with winds of 200 km/h near Airlie Beach in the early hours of Sunday morning. Despite the seriousness of the storm, the damage caused by Ului has not been as severe as that caused by Cyclone Larry, which devastated areas surrounding Innisfail in March 2006. Thiess Services crews spent weeks working with Ergon to repair damage caused by cyclone Larry.