Schools, homes and business in Indigo Shire and surrounds are bracing for a 33-degree day without electricity on Thursday.
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AusNet Service’s planned power outage between 8.45am and 4.30pm to conduct bushfire safety and maintenance work will affect Gapstead, Whorouly, Murmungee, Baarmutha, Stanley and parts of Beechworth.
For Whorouly Primary School, which relies on electricity to pump its bore water, no power meant no running water, toilets or air-conditioning on a hot day.
Principal Fran Waterman said it was unsafe to run classes for children in those conditions on Thursday so the school has been forced to pay for its own excursion to WAVES in Wodonga.
“The money we have is supposed to be for students outcomes,” she said. “I don’t see why (the planned outage) happens in periods where there will be extreme heat.”
Indigo Shire’s headquarters in Beechworth will rely on a generator on Thursday and Beechworth pool will open at 5pm instead of 3pm.