SPEARWOOD residents hit by days-long power outages after last weekend’s wild storm say older suburbs are being left behind, vulnerable residents were forgotten, and compensation should be tailored to people’s means and needs rather than a flat payment.
The outages followed what the Bureau of Meteorology described as an “extremely strong cold front and deep low pressure system” that brought damaging to locally destructive winds, severe thunderstorms and gusts exceeding 125kmh across Perth and the south-west.
The bureau warned the storm could cause “extended power outages”, with conditions “only seen once every three to five years”.
More than 30,000 Western Power customers across WA were affected by outages as trees and powerlines were brought down.
Spearwood resident Tegan Davidson said the prolonged outage highlighted ageing infrastructure in older suburbs.
• Cr Phoebe Corke, Prue Blaine, Chrissie, Carl and Elsie Lanzer, Tegan Davidson and Maxwell Bones waited days for their power to be reconnected. Photo by Steve Grant
“I work in the building industry, and they’re upgrading infrastructure when they’re putting it in, and going underground.
“So these things aren’t happening to newer areas; they might lose power for 60 seconds or a minute, but it’s not prolonged; you’re not looking at 12 hours or more.”
Neighbour Chrissie Lanzer said outages had become increasingly common.
“We have power outages here all the time, don’t we?” she said.
“I reckon we’ve had half a dozen this year already.”
Her husband Max said estimated restoration times continued changing.
“It went from six that night, tomorrow, and then next afternoon, about 5.30 they changed it to 4pm the next day,” he said.
Residents described dark streets, mounting food losses and growing anxiety as the outage stretched into days.
“Driving into the dark was insane,” Ms Lanzer said.
Ms Davidson said the blackout created fear and insecurity.
“I kept thinking someone’s gonna break in because there’s absolutely no security, and it’s public knowledge that we’re out,” she said.
Prue Blaine said the outage quickly became unmanageable for families.
“We came home from a weekend away, and as a family with a couple of girls in the house, you know, washing is sometimes a real necessity,” she said.
“The convenience of washing personal hygiene products was just taken off the table.”
• Freo escaped relatively safely from the storm, but the odd big tree like this one on Arthur Head were toppled. Photo by Peter Zuvela
Spoiled food
She said spoiled food and the inability to refrigerate basics created constant stress.
“School went back on Wednesday. We had absolutely nothing to give the kids for breakfast, because the eggs were off, the milk was off. It just was a nightmare organising a family of five.”
Local councillor Phoebe Corke said vulnerable residents had been hardest hit.
“Everyone appreciates the astounding job that the Western Power Crews did.
“But the big thing here is that the response, which once again, it’s a blanket response, and it’s not one size fits all.”
Cr Corke said poorer residents often lost the most.
“They’re the ones who can’t afford to replace the food,” she said.
“They’re also the ones who don’t have insurance, they’re the ones who don’t have smart camping gear.”
Ms Davidson said she alone lost hundreds of dollars worth of frozen food.
“Yeah, like I’m a hoarder, I have $1,000 worth of meat in my freezer from buying it in bulk,” she said.
“What do you do with that?”
Residents questioned whether compensation should be based on need rather than a flat payment, saying the $120 offered by Western Power for outages over 12 hours didn’t reflect whether homeowners had solar systems that could see them through the day, whether they were pensioners or whether the payment was needed at all.
Ms Lanzer said a means test should have been applied, while other considerations other than simple income needed to be taken into account.
Cr Corke also questioned why no public refuge or relief centre was established despite the severity of the storm.
Cr Corke said frightened residents had nowhere to go for warmth, food or charging facilities.
“People without power, people were scared,” she said.
“So, why wasn’t there any form of place people could go?
“Why wasn’t there somewhere that people could get a hot meal and they could charge their phones?”
Ms Davidson said older residents in particular struggled with the blackout.
“My mum, she lives next door, and she’s in her late 60s,” she said.
“It’s not easy to get around in the dark when you’re older, but it’s also terrifying.”
by STEVE GRANT