At least 9,000 properties in Alice Springs were without power late last night as crews from across the Territory rushed to the region for restoration and clean-up efforts following a severe windstorm Monday afternoon that ripped through the town and outlying communities damaging property, pulling roofs off homes in some instances, and downing trees, with Power and Water warning the power outages could last for days.

The government’s Southern Emergency Operations Centre issued a statement at 11pm last night asking Alice Springs residents and people in the area to avoid unnecessary travel and to continue to take safety precautions amid the widespread damage that saw live powerlines on streets and trees uprooted.

Estimates for the total cost of the wide-scale damage have not yet been assessed. The communities of Arumbera, Burt Plain, Ilparpa, Simpson, Hermannsburg, Hugh, Namatjira and Wallace Rockhole have also been affected, Power and Water said.

Despite the widespread damage the government said all government schools will open on Tuesday, with the exception of Acacia Hill School which suffered extensive water damage and fallen trees.

But several government schools remained without power last night, including Braitling Primary, Centralian Middle School, Gillen Primary, Bradshaw Primary and the Alice Springs School of the Air. The government said updates would be provided at 8:30am Tuesday morning.

“Power and Water is working through an extensive amount of damage and crews are responding in the region,” the Emergency Operations Centre said in a statement late last night.

“Power outages are expected to continue as assessments and restoration works must first be undertaken. There are many fallen trees and powerlines down across the region. Stay away from fallen lines, they may still be live.”

Alice Springs Hospital was operating normally, with no damage reported. The Alice Springs Airport also did not report any major damage.

St John Ambulance was operating within its “surge criteria” with the depot sustaining structural damage. Fallen tress, road obstructions and traffic delays were affecting the service’s response times.

Police, NT Fire and Rescue Service and the NT Emergency Service have all available personnel assisting with the response to the storm, the government said.

Power and Water said in a statement that its crews were working throughout the night to restore service to homes and businesses.

It said the storm had caused “significant and widespread damage to the power network, including fallen power lines, damaged power poles, fallen trees and damage to other electrical infrastructure”.

Additional crews from Darwin, Tennant Creek and Katherine have been sent to the region to help with the emergency response.

“Restoration efforts are expected to continue over several days given the extent of the damage,” the company said.

“We know being without power is frustrating, particularly when we cannot provide an exact restoration time and appreciate the patience and understanding of residents as our crews work through this significant response.”

Updates are available on the Power and Water website here.

Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro issued a statement Monday night to say emergency services was working with Power and Water to help restore services.

“Our thoughts are with the many Alice Springs residents who have been affected by this destructive storm,” she said in the statement.

“We are here to help get you back on your feet as soon as possible.”

She pledged that police, volunteers and “other staff including from the Alice Springs Correctional facility will be out on the ground helping to clean up and restore services”.

The government also reminded people to check on friends and loved ones to ensure they are safe,

Treasurer and Member for Namitjara Bill Yan did not provide an estimated cost for the damage the town sustained, stating it “was significant, but thank goodness there are no injuries reported”.

Alice Springs Masters Games events were cancelled Monday night, with other events expected to be cancelled today.

Monday’s storm came after another storm producing large hail ripped through the town on Friday.