An unexpected flood in a car park on Little Collins Street left approximately 10,000 people without power in the city’s south-east. The incident also caused traffic lights in the vicinity to lose functionality, as confirmed by a spokesperson from CitiPower.
The flooding reached a substation located in the building’s basement, prompting a precautionary power shutdown across the CBD to ensure safety.
Footage captured by 3AW’s Jacqui Felgate shows the car park submerged in water, highlighting the extent of the flooding.
This substation is a key power source for around 10,000 residents in Melbourne’s south-eastern CBD area.
In response, CitiPower initiated a grid shutdown to evaluate the extent of the damage caused by the flood.
“We have successfully restored electricity to over 4,000 customers by rerouting power from different sections of the network,” a CitiPower spokesperson reported.
About 5700 customers were without power as of 5.30pm.
By 7pm, a little under 5000 customers were still offline around the city.
Up to 40 sets of traffic lights across the city centre, East Melbourne and South Yarra were left without power, according to VicTraffic.
“When traffic lights aren’t working, you must follow the same rules at an intersection that has a stop or give way sign or line,” VicTraffic said in a post on X.
Drivers have been warned to stay alert in the impacted suburbs.
Some Metro train lines were delayed by the power shut-off.
“Our crews are on site and working to remove the water so they can safely access the zone substation and assess any damage,” the spokesperson added.
“We will keep customers updated by SMS and on our website on restoration times.”
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