TOTAL FIRE BAN in place for the Hunter

BY JESSICA ROUSE

Fire crews will be on high alert in the Hunter today with a TOTAL FIRE BAN in place for the region.

The mercury will soar to 43 degrees in Wallsend, and it'll even be 40 degrees in Newcastle throughout much of the day.

The fire conditions are rated as being Severe due to the hot and dry conditions - the advice from the Rural Fire Service today is to follow your bush survival plan if you need to and remain vigilant.

Ausgrid has cancelled some planned maintenance works across the region.

Works planned for Hexham, Singleton, Pokolbin and Woodville won't be going ahead today. Maintenance planned for Muscle Creek, Aberdeen, Sandy hollow, Keinbah, Myuna Bay and Wakefield will continue, but be shorter than planned so power can be restored by midday.

AUSGRID Cancels Scheduled Maintenance for Hunter

BY JESSICA ROUSE

The very high temperatures around the Hunter today have prompted Ausgrid to cancel planned maintenance works which would have cut power to homes for the day.

The power company has cancelled works which were scheduled for Raymond Terrace, Heddon Greta, Mccullys Gap, Yango Creek and Lambs Valley.

"All of those jobs would've involved interrupting power to customers and some of those would've been extended interruptions and in the very hot conditions we don't want to leave customers unnecessarily without power for long periods," said Jonathon Hall from Ausgrid.

There are some locations where customers have asked for works to still go ahead, as they've been in the planning for weeks or even months.

Ausgrid said they've made sure to contact the most at-risk customers.

"We have been contacting life support and vulnerable customers in areas where we do have planned works just to let them know what's happening and if the works are going ahead. We'll continue to do that today talking to them just to ensure they have all of the information they need in the heat," said Jonathon.

Ausgrid has released some simple tips for everyone to follow ahead of the soaring temperatures today:

• Use natural breezes to stay cool by opening doors and windows on opposite sides of your home.
• Using air conditioners less could save a family of four up to 10% on their electricity bill.
• Use a fan for cooling. A ceiling fan costs about two cents an hour to run, or about $6 over summer. Air conditioning the same space can cost between 30 and 40 cents an hour and add $100-150 to your bill.
• Set your air conditioner between 23 to 26 degrees. Each extra degree of cooling can add up  to 10% to your running costs.
• If you are using air conditioning remember to close doors and windows to keep the cool air in.

Wild Weather Leaves Kurri Kurri Looking Like a War Zone

BY JESSICA ROUSE

It could be days before Kurri Kurri gets back on its feet after a ferocious storm ripped through the area yesterday afternoon.

Cyclonic conditions hit the town at about 2pm, with it came winds of up to 100 kilomtres per hour that ripped roofs off buildings, brought trees down on cars and cut power to thousands of homes.

Image MJF Productions.

Emergency services were run off their feet with the Kurri Kurri Community Centre evacuated after the building partially collapsed, and the Ambulance Practice hall became one of the worst hit with the roof completely ripped off.

Cessnock Mayor Bob Pynsent said the storm was short but severe.

"I was in the area yesterday when it happened and it is like a war zone,"

"The plan today is that the SES, the police and council have a meeting this morning and from there we will work out a way forward, particularly around the safety aspect of the buildings that lost their roofs," said Mayor Bob Pynsent.

Today Kurri Kurri Public School is closed due to damage, as will the library until it is given the all clear. The OOSh which runs out of the Ambulance Hall will relocate if a suitable venue can be found.



"We will get a full assessment today with the meeting between SES, the police and council and we will then be putting forward an emergency funding plan from the government," said Mayor Bob Pynsent.

Rachael Squires from the SES says crews are still dealing with dozens of calls for assistance.

"In total, we had over 175 calls for assistance. Last night we had 20 crews on the ground from across our region, we also had assistance from a number of crews from Fire and Rescue and so we managed to be able to complete around 90 of those jobs so we'll still be working on the ground today."

Ausgrid is still working to restore power to 1300 homes around Kurri Kurri, Abermain, Weston Sawyers Gully and Loxford.

"Everyone needs to remain safe because we still have around 1300 people without power so it's going to be a tough day again today," said Mayor Bob Pynsent.

Kurri Kurri Communuity Centre Image MJF Productions.

Image MJF Productions.

The power of the sun

BY JESSICA ROUSE

Lake Macquarie City Council is reaping the rewards of solar panels, using the power of the sun to reduce their carbon emissions and save thousands of dollars.

The council has installed a further 241 solar panels at its Works Depot adding to the panels already installed across major council buildings capable of generating 550kW.

Solar panels have been installed at council's administration building which generates 176kW of power, and also at the Speers Point Swim Centre, the art gallery, Charlestown and Belmont Libraries, the Rural Fire Service Headquarters and other buildings throughout the local government area.

So far the panels have reduced council's carbon emission by a massive 856 tonnes - the equivalent of taking 200 cars off the road - and saved $156,000 annually.

"We estimate that those installations are reducing our electricity bills by around about $156,000 dollars every year so that translates directly into savings on the cost of council services for ratepayers," said Manager of Sustainability Alice Howe.

Council isn't stopping there, they aim to make the city a solar powerhouse in the Lower Hunter, and already have 14 per cent of homes having solar panels installed on rooftops throughout the city.