Western Power is working to restore power to thousands of homes after severe storms swept through Bunbury and other suburbs, about 170km south of Perth, during the evening of 1 June.
Many residents in Bunbury reported electricity outages and property damage, with some saying that the damage was so extreme it appeared as though a tornado had hit the area.
More than 10,000 homes were initially left without power following the storms, which primarily affected customers in Bunbury and surrounding areas including Wellard, Orelia, Kwinana, Casuarina, Bertram, Hope Valley, Anketell, Calista, Baldivis, Medina and The Spectacles.
Western Power said its emergency response crews were still working to address hazards and outages, with approximately 1,300 customers remaining without power in Bunbury and surrounds.
Western Power said crews were working as quickly and safely as possible to make hazards safe before commencing repairs and restoring power to the remaining affected customers to ensure the safety of the community and its crew.
Around 700 customers are likely to be without power until the afternoon of Monday 3 June due to network damage in some impacted areas.
Emergency WA had issued an alert on Saturday 1 June urging people in the Lower West and parts of the Central West, South West and Great Southern districts to take action and stay safe due to dangerous severe thunderstorms.
The Western Australia Department of Fire and Emergency Services (WADFES) said it received about 110 requests for assistance after the storm hit at around 10pm on Saturday.
WADFES Superintendent, Andy Wright, said there were more than 60 State Emergency Services volunteers on the ground in Bunbury following the storms.
“We’re asking the community to stay away from damaged buildings and infrastructure that is compromised,” Mr Wright said.
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