Tens of thousands of households have lost power across southern WA in the past 24 hours and while many face a long wait for it to be restored, the silver lining is they will be eligible for payment.

The extended outage payment comes in the form of $120 for any household which has been left without power for more than 12 hours.

Western Power stresses the payment is not a compensation for any perishable food or medication which goes off in that time, but rather a recognition of the disruption.

“The payment is an acknowledgement of the inconvenience for customers who have experienced a long supply interruption while waiting for repairs to be completed and restoration of power to occur,” the website reads.

To claim the payment, you’ll need access to the internet and to know your meter number, which is printed on the second page of your power bill.

Visit the Western Power website within 60 days of the outage and then follow the below steps:

1. Select the issues & enquiries tab, then select make a claim and then extended outage claim.
2. Enter your property details and meter number.
3. After selecting the outage to claim for, you will also need to enter bank details and other personal information.
4. Payment should be made into the nominated bank account within 30 days.

Only one person per household can claim.

On Monday Western Power said its crews were responding to more than 180 hazards and outages caused by severe storm conditions.

At the peak of the destructive winds on Sunday night more than 79,000 homes were without power.

Come the morning, 70,000 were still without power across Perth, the South West, Midwest, Wheatbelt and Great Southern.

Western Power took to social media on Sunday afternoon to warn the public restoration could take some time.

“With over 100 separate faults currently impacting the network, our crews are hard at work making hazards safe,“ the post read.

“However, with current weather conditions making it difficult to safely perform electrical work, further restorations today are unlikely.

“If you are currently without power, it will probably remain off overnight.“