There is a large unplanned power outage in a wide area surrounding Lismore. It is estimated that 11,440 households are affected.

The area affected could still be growing.

Their hotline currently has a recorded message, and it reports the outage extending from Dyraaba to Alstonville.

Essential Energy are currently looking for the cause of the fault of the power outage, and will have it rectified as soon as possible.

You can keep an eye on progress via Essential Energies outage page or their Facebook page for updates.

Light some candles, have some torches handy, keep the fridge closed (to keep the cold in) and don't scroll too much to preserve battery power as much as possible.