SYDNEY - On Feb 13, 2024, the state of Victoria in Australia was in the grip of a heatwave, prompting warnings from the authorities about the risk of catastrophic bushfires. But a separate threat was lurking. Just after 2pm, a storm brought strong winds that toppled six electricity towers near Geelong, a city just outside Melbourne, and also damaged local power lines. The collapse of the towers triggered a cascade of power outages, including the emergency shutdown of a large coal-powered plant and two wind farms.

It was the worst blackout in the state’s history, affecting about 1.5 million people. While power was quickly restored to some, 220,000 homes and businesses were still without power the following day.