UPDATE, 11.30am: Power says some people still without power could remain without electricity into the weekend.
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However, most customers can expect to have power restored at some stage on Friday.
There are currently about 13,000 customers without power in the Powercor network, with just under 11,000 of them within the Kyneton, Woodend, Trentham and Gisborne region.
"We are still assessing some of the damage in Trentham as we have had difficulties accessing some parts of our network, and are working closely with emergency services in the area," a spokesperson said.
"We expect to restore power to the majority of customers by late today, however some customers will still be without power into the weekend. These customers are likely to be single premise faults, where service wires have been brought down."
The power supplier also says there have been instances of its workers being abused while trying to restore power.
"Unfortunately, we have had reports some of our crews have been receiving abuse from a small number of customers," the statement read.
"Our lineys are people with families and loved ones who live in the communities they service. We would ask people to please respect them as they work to restore power."
If people do see a fallen powerline, they should always stay well away from them and report them to us immediately on 13 24 12.
UPDATE, Friday 8am: Coliban Water managing director Damian Wells has taken to Twitter to post an update this morning.
He says the town's water reply is "stable" but remains at just 17%.
However, the 'not not drink' advice remains in place as it might not be safe to drink.
The do not drink advisory for Trentham remains in place this morning.
Following consultation with the Department of Health, Coliban Water advises that customers in Trentham do not drink tap water until further notice.
Bottled water is available at the Emergency Relief Centre, located at the Trentham Mechanics Institute Hall at 66 High Street, Trentham.
Much of the Central Highlands/Central Victoria areas remain without power on Friday morning.
Lancefield (1311 customers), Kyneton (1157), Romsey (2412), Trentham (868) and Woodend (1196) are the biggest towns to remain without power as of 7am on Friday.
In total there were more than 12,821 customers without power.
A further update about area is expected to be issued before 8am on Friday.
UPDATE, Thursday 8.15pm: VicEmergency has advised an emergency relief centre has opened at the Trentham Mechanics Hall, 11 High Street, while Hepburn Shire Council is distributing bottled water at the Trentham Football Netball Club facility.
Residents must not use tap water, Coliban Water has reiterated.
"Do not drink tap water from 7pm tonight, 10 June, until further notice," the website states.
"We currently have only 10 per cent storage at our Water Treatment Plant and we are at risk of running out overnight.
"If this happens, we may be unable to communicate with residents due to potential loss of communication.
"There is also a burst water main that may cause a loss of pressure in the distribution system.
"If there is a loss of pressure we cannot guarantee that the water is safe to drink.
"While this 'do not drink tap water' advisory is in place, you are advised not to use the tap water for:
- drinking
- preparing beverages
- washing and preparing food
- preparing baby formula
- brushing teeth
- making ice.
"Boiling water will not remove any potential contaminants that may enter the distribution system if there is pressure loss in the system.
"The Hepburn Shire council will have a relief centre at the Trentham Football and Netball Facility from 7pm (Thursday) where bottled water will be available.
"We acknowledge that communication may be an ongoing problem for the region, and we will provide an update on this situation at 8am 11 June on ABC radio, the Coliban Water website, SMS, and social media channels.
"If you are concerned that you may have been affected by contaminated water please seek medical advice. Inform your GP of this advisory."
Several roads in the area remain closed, according to the VicTraffic online map.
UPDATE 6.45pm:
Trentham residents have been told to stop using tap water from 7pm Thursday.
VicEmergency has issued urgent advice as water supplies run to 10 per cent.
"Coliban Water, following consultation with the Department of Health, advices that customers in the Trentham area do not drink tap water from 7pm tonight June 10, until further notice," the alert states.
"While we currently have 10 per cent storage at our water treatment plant, we are at risk of running out of water over night and being unable to communicate with resident(s).
"The next update will be at 7.45am Friday morning June 11 on ABC local radio 107.9 FM."
While damaging winds are expected to ease below warning levels by late afternoon, residents are asked to be alert to dangers caused by earlier storm activity.
"Trees have fallen across power lines and are causing widespread outages. Crews are working hard to restore power however the extent of the damage caused by the trees means that power may not be restored in some areas until tomorrow," the advice states.
The update follows storms which ripped across the state, causing widespread havoc and destruction, with major flooding in Gippsland and the death of at least one man in Woodside.
UPDATE 5pm:
Severe weather in the Hepburn Shire has stranded residents from Trentham in their homes on Thursday, with no power or internet after storms and heavy winds brought down trees and powerlines overnight
High Street, Trentham, was blocked by two fallen trees from 8pm Wednesday night until about 1.30pm Thursday.
Pearsons Road, which leads into town, has broken trees as far as the eye can see.
The VicTraffic website notes the Trentham-Daylesford Road, and Greendale-Trentham Road, are still closed.
The Ballan-Daylesford Road is also closed.
Volunteers, the SES, and the CFA, are out in large numbers to respond to the non-stop calls for assistance that emergency services have received since last night.
"We think it might be days until they can clear all the powerlines and trees," paramedic Cameron MacDonald said.
"One person on Mulcahys Road came in and said their whole roof has come off."
Mr MacDonald said it's currently impossible to drive from Trentham to Daylesford, but crews are working to clear the road from either end on the Trentham-Daylesford Road, and expect to meet in the middle somewhere near Lyonville.
Daylesford to Bullarto has so far been cleared.
Trentham Community Health is the only place in town with electricity, as they are able to run off a generator, but their internet and landlines have since dropped out.
Floods have also impacted Trentham, with one section of High Street closed due to deep water over the road.
The SES community emergency response team estimates it to be three days until power is restored.
A Powercor statement notes crews have restored power to about 70,000 households throughout the day so far, with 20,000 currently offline.
"Wind gusts of up to 90kmh and persistent strong winds are continuing to bring down trees and branches, with new faults and outages occurring," the statement says.
"The significant storm damage is also creating access issues in some areas, particularly around Trentham and Kyneton. Powercor is working closely with emergency services to ensure our crews are able to safely access some locations.
"While our crews are working as safely and as quickly as possible to get power supplies restored, the ongoing difficult conditions and extensive damage to the network means that restoration times will be longer than usual."
If people do see a fallen powerline, they should always stay well away from them and report them to Powercor immediately on 13 24 12.
PREVIOUSLY:
A small town in the Hepburn Shire is fast running out of water due to extreme weather that has left a trail of destruction in the area.
The two main roads into Trentham from the south are closed and the town is low on water supply after storms lashed the region overnight and this morning.
The Trentham water treatment plant has lost power and Coliban Water is currently unable to access the plant to switch to generator power due to fallen trees and lack of road access.
As of 1.30pm, Coliban Water was continuing to experience issues across its water network, particularly with Trentham's water supply.
Power has been restored to the plant, but a suspected burst water main at an unknown location is causing further headaches.
Earlier in the morning it had said there was only two or three hours left of water.
READ MORE:
Coliban Water has asked Trentham customers to minimise non-essential water use to conserve the water supply.
About 1200 people live in Trentham.
"There are also a range of other issues across our network that we are managing as a result of extended periods of power outages," a statement on Coliban Water's website said.
"This includes several sewer pump stations that have lost power which may result in sewerage releasing from the structures and into the environment. Please avoid these areas where possible.
"If you have a problem with your water or sewer service, or if you want to report a leak or burst, call our 24-hour number 1300 363 200."
All roads in and out the town itself are also closed and there is minimal phone reception.
East Trentham Wildlife Shelter operator Manfred Zabinskas had a birthday to remember, spending the morning trying to rescue wildlife.
"I didn't realise how bad it was until I got up this morning. Everywhere I looked there were trees laying down. It was like a cyclone," he said.
"We've been bringing animals inside as quickly as we can for safety but we're in a bind because as we go out, we keep getting gusts so it's too dangerous to be outside at the moment so we're going out between the worst gusts and getting animals and bringing them inside."
While the property is off-the-grid and currently running on solar power, it has been cut off on both sides of the road with its forest location making access difficult.
"Our main concern is the animals that are our free ranging, we hope they haven't been injured. It's just too dangerous to be out in the forest. We're dealing with animals we can't get vet help for as well so the pressure's on today, it's a really big day for us," Mr Zabinskas said.
Powercor says it is trying to restore power to more than 35,000 homes.
"The hardest hit areas are in Woodend, Gisborne and Kyneton," Powercor said in a statement.
"Crews worked throughout the night to restore power to more than 60,000 customers.
"Crews are continuing to patrol lines and repair the damage today. Currently we are responding to more than 200 faults, including reports of dozens of fallen powerlines.
"If people do see a fallen powerline, they should always stay well away from them and report them to us immediately on 13 24 12."
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