A sudden and unexpected storm hit Broken Hill on Monday night, felling trees, cutting power lines and blocking roads.
50km winds battered the town with gusts up to 96kms an hour.
29.6mms of rain fell between 7:30 and 9:30pm.
4,300 houses lost electricity from the centre of town out to Railwaytown, according to Essential Energy.
Despite Essential Energy’s best efforts to fix the problem on Monday night, they had to return to inspect lines and finish repairs in the morning.
The electricity was back on in the CBD by 9:30am.
All over town, trees were uprooted from the ground, large branches snapped from the middle of trees (not the joints where they usually break), and objects were thrown around yards and streets.
One person in Harris Street came out to find a large branch still hanging on the internet wires in the street, branches on his house and covering the footpath.
“I have complained numerous times about these trees, but nothing is done. This isn’t the first time the trees have broken lines here,” he said.
A family in Harvey Street woke up to find a new trampoline in their backyard, which didn’t belong to their immediate neighbours.
Argent Street had trees fall in front of the Town Hall Façade and TAFE.
In Ryan Street, a car was crushed under a fallen tree and in Harris Street, trees were pulled out from their roots.
If travelling to Menindee, check road conditions as the storm continued Southeast from Broken Hill.
