Tens of thousands of residents in the Australian state of Queensland continue to experience power outages on Saturday, following two days of a tropical cyclone named Cyclone Kieralee, which brought destructive winds and heavy rainfall.
Cyclone Kieralee, a Category 2 cyclone, made landfall on the coastal area near the tourist town of Townsville, adjacent to the Great Barrier Reef.
This resulted in power outages for around 66,000 people on Friday.
Kieralee marks the second tropical cyclone to hit the region since December, when Cyclone Jasper caused widespread damage in Australia, which is grappling with the effects of the La Niña weather phenomenon, often associated with extreme weather events like hurricanes.
Emma Oliveri, a spokesperson for Ergon Energy, stated on Saturday, “Electricity remains cut off to around 48,700 people due to the cyclone.”
Oliveri added that the goal is to restore power to the majority of customers by the end of Sunday.
She also noted that some remote areas would have to wait longer for restoration, with most power outages occurring due to fallen trees or large branches on power transmission lines.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced on Friday, “Military forces are ready to assist in clearing the cyclone debris.”
Category 2 cyclones are three categories lower than the most severe cyclones but can still cause significant damage to trees, crops, and may disconnect boats from marinas.
