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Image of field worker in high-vis, hard hat, and face masking working to restore power from a cherry picker in storm affected suburb.

Storm response FAQs


What you need to know:

  • If you are in danger or need urgent medical help, call 000
  • If there is damage to your property or your private electrical line, contact a registered electrician for repairs.
  • Stay clear of any fallen power lines, assume any wires are live.
  • Check our Outage Tracker website for latest restoration times.
  • Life support customers can call our 24/7 priority line on 1800 818 832.
  • Call 13 17 99 to report faults and emergencies, including fallen powerlines and powerlines caught in trees. We'll need your full address or the number on your nearest power pole, and a description of the damage.

Last updated: 3 December

Frequently asked questions


See the FAQs below for answers to questions about the impact of the storm, our response, and where you can find more information.

  • How do I report a fault?

    Please call our fault line on 13 17 99. 


    You will need to provide the full service address, your name, and best contact number if the fault is happening at your home.


    If you are reporting a fault for elsewhere, for example a downed powerline on you street, you will need to give us the nearest street address. If this isn't possible, please let us know as much as you can about the location of the fault to help us locate it accurately.

  • My whole street has power restored except for me. Why is this?

    There is a possibility that there is damage to the connection point on your property. There may be visible damage, like the power line is pulling away from your property or there may be damage to the property end of the service line that is not visible, such as an issue with the mains switch. 

    Please check your meter box. If there are lights on, it is very likely there is a defect on your side of the meter. If there are no lights on in your meter, please call us on 13 17 99 and one of our team will provide further advice. 

    Ahead of the works in your area, you may like to arrange for a Registered Electrical Contractor (REC or Electrician) to inspect your connection and ensure that your property is safe to connect. If there is damage to your property, it may not be safe for our crews to restore power to your location. 

  • I’m on life support, what do I do?

    Please enact your contingency plan immediately. If you need assistance, please call our dedicated 24-hour life support line on 1800 818 832.

  • My outage is not appearing on the outage tracker. What should I do?

    Single line faults may not appear on Outage Tracker. If there is damage at your premises, or to your private electrical line, contact a registered electrician to arrange repairs.

    There are a  large number of incidents right across our network under investigation. Restoration times will be displayed and updated once our crews have safely assessed and ETRs are known. Given the widespread damage, it is likely to take some time to fully assess all incidents. If the outage in your area is not listed, please call us on 13 17 99 to report a fault. Please be patient as our customer service team answer a high volume of calls.    

  • Are planned outages still going ahead? 
    A small number of critical planned works will go ahead on 4-5 Dec, including important bushfire safety work. 

  • I’m submitting a claim to my insurer but have been told I need a letter from you. How do I get this?
    We can provide an Insurance Letter that verifies the outage at your address. Please complete this form on our web page and an Insurance Letter will be issued to you.  

  • I have spoiled food due to having no power. What do I do?

    You may be able to claim up to for food loss. To submit a claim, please use our online claim form, or call 1300 360 795. 

    If you have been without power for an extended period, your food may no longer be safe to consume. Please consult the Health Victoria website for further information.  

  • Is my drinking water safe?

    For details on water quality, please contact your local water supplier.

  • Why isn’t my solar working?

    In most cases, your solar system will not work during a power outage. 

    Do not try to change any wiring or settings on your solar equipment. Doing so may cause serious injury to you, the general public or our field crews when they are working on lines connected to your network. For the electricity system to work (be in on a small scale in your home or on a large scale across the whole electricity network), electricity produced needs to match the electricity consumed almost exactly at any point in time. Unless you have a home battery that is set up to work as an isolated system, your solar panels will not work.  

    For more information on why your solar system does not work during an outage, please refer to our fact sheet. 

  • I have wired a generator to my house. Is there anything I need to know?

    If you have a generator incorrectly wired to your house, it needs to be disconnected immediately as there is a serious risk that it will electrocute your household, your neighbours or our field team. Any wired-in generators must be installed by a qualified electrician.

    If you think your generator has been improperly installed, turn it off immediately.

    If you need any assistance with your generator, please contact an electrician.

  • Is there damage to the connection point at your home?

    If the line connecting in has been pulled away from the structure of your home, you will need an inspection by registered electrician.

    STEP 1

    A Registered Electric Contractor (REC) will inspect and repair your connection.

    STEP 2

    Once the repairs to your property are completed you will receive a Certificate of Electrical Safety (COES) for the site.

    STEP 3

    The REC will contact AusNet with the restoration code and Certificate of Electrical Safety (COES). We will arrange the reconnection to the network.

    Customers can follow up with a phone call to our faults and emergencies line on 13 17 99

  • Is there damage to your Private Electrical Line (PEL)?

    Customers may require repairs to Private Electric Lines (PEL) infrastructure and/or wiring behind the point of attachment. Repairing PEL infrastructure requires RECs with specialist expertise. Visit www.ausnetservices.com.au/PEL for more information or to download a handy checklist.

  • Will I receive an SMS?
    If we already have your mobile number we'll send you an SMS. Please register your mobile number with your retailer (who you pay your bill to) and they will pass it on to us.