Towns still without power days after wild storms in South Australia

The prolonged power outages have forced businesses and schools to close in the towns of Leigh Creek and Hawker, leaving residents frustrated and demanding a permanent backup power supply.

Leigh Creek’s only supermarket is among those affected, with perishable fresh produce slowly spoiling.

“We’ve got the product here, but nobody has a fridge in town now, so nobody’s buying it,” owner Mel Bowden said.

Bowden has already spent over $2000 fuelling a generator at her IGA.

“People in the outback are pretty resilient people, but just because we’re resilient, doesn’t mean we have to go with less,” she said.

A pub, caravan park, and cafe are among those impacted in the Copley area.

SA Power Networks, the state’s electricity distributor, is urgently deploying large backup generators to the affected areas. 

While Hawker is expected to be reconnected by Monday evening, Leigh Creek residents will have to wait until at least tomorrow afternoon for power to be restored.

“We’re not talking about a small scale household level generation here… we’re talking about large backup generators that need to be able to service hundreds of customers,” Cecilia Schutz from SA Power Networks said.