South Australia Plunged into Darkness: The 2016 Blackout

On September 28, 2016, a massive storm swept across South Australia, leaving a trail of destruction and plunging the entire state into darkness. The storm brought with it driving rain, massive clouds, and tornadoes that twisted power pylons like pipe-cleaners, setting off a chain of events that would lead to a statewide blackout.

A team of journalists and camera operators hit the road to capture the devastation firsthand. "We were on Port Wakefield Road, and you could just see massive clouds in front of us," said one journalist. "When we hit it, there was just driving, constant rain." After navigating through the storm, they arrived in the Mid North town of Blyth, which had been left looking like a "war zone" with roofs ripped off buildings, including the local church.

Locals showed them footage of tornadoes tearing through the region, leaving a path of destruction in their wake. The team spent a long day filming in the rain and eventually made their way to Port Pirie, where they were to stay the night. However, upon arrival, they found that the town was dark and powerless, with no food available and no access to their motel rooms.

Their only refuge was the local news bureau, where there was still power thanks to a generator. The bureau's manager provided them with tinned soup and toast for a makeshift dinner cooked in the office kitchen. After a sleepless night, the team continued their reporting, capturing exclusive footage of toppled power lines and twisted by the tornadoes.

The blackout had severe consequences, with businesses forced to throw away refrigerated stock, slag solidifying in the Port Pirie smelter's blast furnace, and backup generators failing at Flinders Medical Centre. Intensive care patients had to be urgently relocated, and families undergoing IVF lost embryos stored at the centre.

The crisis was far from over, with many parts of the state remaining in the dark for days. The then-premier, Jay Weatherill, flew to Port Lincoln to meet with an emergency committee and reassure locals. A political reporter joined him and managed to file a live report despite a lack of mobile coverage, using a satellite phone to call the newsroom.

As the situation continued to unfold, it became clear that the most serious consequences of the blackout were being felt on the Eyre Peninsula, where it was taking days to bring power back online. There were even fears that Port Lincoln could run out of water due to a lack of power to pumps that supplied the city.

In the midst of the chaos, an older technology proved to be a vital lifeline: ABC Radio. The station kept people informed across the state on battery-powered radios, while the premier regularly spoke on radio to keep the public informed and reassured about the situation.