BY IAN CROUCH
Emergency services have been stretched to the limit after wild storms lashed the Hunter overnight.
Almost 55,000 customers remain without power, with more than 32,000 of those in the Port Stephens area.
Ausgrid says 90% of the outages were caused by lightning strikes and complex repairs could take until later on Thursday to be completed.
Near cyclonic winds were reported in some areas, with wind gusts reportedly reaching 120km/hr at Williamtown at about 9.00pm on Wednesday.
The State Emergency Service has responded to around 500 calls for assistance, with just over 200 coming from the Maitland area alone. Many homes in the area have lost rooves and sustained flash flooding, while trees and power lines are down over a wide area of the Lower and Upper Hunter region.
Several sets of traffic lights have also been blacked out and police are urging people to stay home unless it's essential to be out on the roads and for motorists to drive with caution.
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| Port Stephens SES volunteers attending to one of hundreds of trees brought down in overnight storms. Picture Port Stephens SES |
