For residents in Attunga and Barraba, clear skies were no warning of the blackout that was to last almost 36 hours.

However, despite some escaping the wind and rain, about 7000 residents throughout the Tamworth region were without power over the course of the weekend after a major 66kW power line was knocked out in Westdale.

Five reinforced concrete poles supporting the line were snapped at the base by the freak winds that ripped across the plains.

Country Energy’s field services manager John O’Meagher said the extent of the destruction was unlike anything he had ever witnessed.

“The force of these winds just lifted the conductors and smashed them to the ground,” he told The Leader.

“In my 40 years in the industry I have never seen anything like it.”

The five poles, measuring between 17m and 20m, were made of steel reinforced concrete with the exception of one which was made of wood with a reinforced concrete base.

The steel reinforcements, up to 20mm in diameter, were bent and twisted by the force of the winds, rendering them weak causing the collapse.

With the downed lines in the middle of paddocks, field crews were further hindered in their repair work by the boggy ground, slowing the progress of the two 30-tonne excavators required to remove the poles.

Wooden poles have now been erected as a temporary measure until the concrete poles can be replaced.

With millions of dollars worth of damage to the electricity network, crews from Dubbo, Narrabri, Inverell, Armidale, Barraba, Manilla, Glen Innes, Moree, Walcha, Quirindi and Gunnedah worked around the clock to restore power.

Country Energy Field crew member Troy Harding said he first got the call to return to the depot after working all day at about 7pm on Friday.

“When I saw the storm coming over the first thought was for the wife working at the hospital and then the call from work came through,” he said.

“Once briefed we went straight to Goddards Lane and from then we followed the calls all over the shop.

“We pulled a tree off a line at the Family Hotel in front of a crowd of a couple of hundred.”

Mr Harding said trees seemed to be the biggest problem crews faced.

“It was a long weekend and I am starting to get weary now but the people we spoke to seemed to understand we were doing our best in the conditions. We would see them and say, sorry it took so long, and most said they were surprised to see us as early as they did.”