Outback NSW residents left in the dark after wild storm flattens powerlines

The NSW opposition is calling for a natural disaster declaration in far west New South Wales after a severe storm flattened seven high-voltage transmission towers last week.The wild weather swept through the region on Wednesday night, leaving more than 10,000 properties in Broken Hill and surrounds without electricity.Diesel generators have been running to resume power supply, but blackouts are ongoing.NSW Nationals leader Dugald Saunders said residents were going to need assistance to work through the continuing outages.”Time is of the essence,” Mr Saunders said.”We need the NSW Government to officially make this a natural disaster zone so locals can tap into support of all kinds.”Last week’s storm left more than 10,000 homes without electricity. (Supplied: Vlatko’s photography)When asked whether the state government would declare a national disaster, NSW Premier Chris Minns said he would take advice and listen to emergency services.”My understanding is, I’ve had two briefings on…