Tens of thousands of residents in the Australian state of Tasmania were left without power today after a storm front brought devastating winds and heavy rain and caused the issuance of a warning for possible floods, reported Reuters, quoted by BTA.
“About 30,000 customers are without power across the state this morning”, announced the state electricity company “Tasnetworks” on Facebook.
The Met Office said a cold front over Tasmania, an island of about 570,000 people, was moving away “although bands of showers and thunderstorms continued to pose a risk of damaging wind gusts”.< /p>
However, the forecast says a new cold front will cross the state Sunday night into Monday, likely to affect the west and north coasts of the island.
Civil Defense has issued warnings of possible flooding that could leave Tasmanians stranded for several days.
„It is possible that properties will be flooded and roads will be impassable,” State Rescue Tasmania chief executive Mick Lowe said. The authorities have received 330 calls for help in the last 24 hours.